Mexico are the lucky participants, alongside host nation South Africa, who will walk out onto the pitch at Johannesburg to kickoff the opening game of this year’s World Cup. The 11th of June at 4 o’clock in the afternoon is not the time to make a cup of tea, as millions of people around the world will be switching the TV on to witness the month long party begin. So whether you have your vuvuzela or sombrero the time has finally arrived.
I say that Mexico are the “lucky” participants in the opening game, yet history shows us that the host nation fairs a lot better than they usually do in the World Cup. 2002 gave us South Korea when the hosts reached the semi-finals. Mexico’s best performances came on home soil in 1970 and 1986 when they reached the quarterfinals. And of course England won in 1966. So whether South Africa are really the nation you want to face in your group is debatable.
South Africa is however one of the worst ranked host nations ever, so Mexico should have been relatively pleased when they got drawn in Group A, as South Africa were technically the seeded team in that group, as opposed to a Brazil, Italy and Spain in others. Yet, the un-seeded France later got drawn in Group A, meaning that the group does field a top international side. Uruguay are the other opponents, and with Forlan on form Mexico could be in real trouble.
Mexico though have qualified for their 5th consecutive World Cup finals, with the previous 4 ending in the last 16. It appears that they are the West Brom of international football, good enough to get promoted from the Championship, but not really good enough to stay in the Premiership. The last 16 is probably the highest they can once more achieve.
Qualifying was not so straight forward as one may expect, with Sven-Goran Eriksson getting the sack after a dismal start to the campaign. Mexico recalled Javier Aguirre who coached the national side in 2002 – to the last 16 – and his experience proved vital, as he guided Mexico into second place in CONCACAF.
Pivotal to the resurgence was bringing back into the side inspirational playmaker Cuauhtemoc Blanco. If you watched the friendly England played against Mexico you will agree with the Mexican medical staff that Blanco is a little overweight, meaning he is unlikely to play the full 90. But the 37year old has over 100caps and 38 goals for his country. And in France 98 he introduced the World to the Cuauhtemina – the ball between the legs bunny hop to skip in between two opposing players. Classic.
Against England they did show some very confident, slick passing football, exemplifying their typical Latino style ability. Arsenal’s Carlos Vela and West Ham’s Guillermo Franco may play integral parts in Mexico’s forward play. However, Javier Hernandez is the main man up front and is evidentially a man to key an eye out for, Sir Alex Ferguson believes so, having snapped up the striker before the World Cup for £6million.
Mexico are captained by Barcelona’s Rafael Marquez, another man with a wealth of experience. The cultured centre-back should control the game from defence, and hopefully will resolve those defensive deficiencies that England opened-up and punished.
El Tri will use their pacy wingers to create opportunities for their lone striker, Hernandez. Giovani Dos Santos failed at Spurs, but his national team play is invariably more consistent. Andres Guardado terrorises the right-wing. The Deportivo winger was viewed as one of the best foreign players outside the “top four” in La Liga. And if one of those two is not performing, Pablo Barrera will be brought on to provide even more speed to a wing.
Mexico play some decent football, yet their defence is not entirely stable when they play a team of greater skill. In any other year, I would suggest that Mexico would once more reach the last 16 of the tournament, qualifying second in the group. Yet, with South Africa hosting the tournament, the opening match may well decide who progresses to that elusive stage of the competition. With home advantage and the whole of the world behind them, Mexico may find themselves overawed by an overly excited South African team.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Saturday 29 May 2010
Japan
The Japanese, ever the optimists it appears. In the land of the rising sun natives have been blinded in recent years but shades have finally begun to flitter through allowing football fans to witness the true capabilities of football players outside the realms of the J-League.
Stifle a laugh because it really is not funny, more embarrassing, but Japan’s manager Takeshi Okada aim for this summer is to reach...the semi-finals...I personally think if you are going to shoot so high you may as well go for glory and state that you are going win the whole tournament, but evidentially that would be unrealistic.
Maybe I am being overly harsh though, so, let’s look at the statistics. This is the 4th consecutive World Cup Japan have qualified for. In 2002, they were the joint holders of the competition along with South Korea, who outshined their co-hosts and made it to the elusive semi-finals. However, Japan did at least win some games and make it through to the second round.
In 1998 and 2006 Japan faired a lot worse. In their first ever World Cup appearance in France, they lost all three games. In 2006 they could only muster one draw against Croatia, effectively meaning they have not won a World Cup game on foreign soil yet.
If Japan are going to “defy” expectations then it is their midfield that is going to have to get them there. Junichi Inamoto is still about, an integral part of the defensive midfield. Next to him lines up Makoto Hasebe, one of the rare players to play outside the J-League – for German side Wolfsburg.
Another player who plies his trade elsewhere is Keisuke Honda. The CSKA Moscow midfielder is a powerful player, but also has an eye for a goal. Expect him to bring some European style to the Japanese midfield.
Ex-Celtic star, and Japan’s most famous player, Shunsuke Nakamura shall add slight glamour to the side. Yet, whether his left-foot can carry the team to a victory, let alone to the semi-finals, is once again debatable. Nakamura’s set pieces are a dangerous threat, but he will have to share this role with Yasuhito Endo, who got voted Asian Player of the Year in 2009.
Yuji Nakazawa is Japan’s captain and also their most experienced player. The centre-back is solid and having gained over 100caps for his country, he will be looked upon to lead the defensive line against the high quality opposition that Japan are set to face.
Japan have been drawn in Group E in South Africa. It is not the hardest group but it will still be a struggle for the Samurai Blues. The Netherlands are the likely team to top the group. Cameroon are one of the best African sides in the tournament. The Danes came through a tough qualifying campaign, beating off the likes of Sweden and Portugal, but then again Japan fended off Qatar and Uzbekistan.
The midfield 5 will need to shine if the sun is not to set on the Japanese advance on South Africa. How they will fair in reality will no doubt be obvious to all in Britain come tomorrow, when the Japanese face England in a friendly in Austria. Semi-finals? Fully unachievable.
Stifle a laugh because it really is not funny, more embarrassing, but Japan’s manager Takeshi Okada aim for this summer is to reach...the semi-finals...I personally think if you are going to shoot so high you may as well go for glory and state that you are going win the whole tournament, but evidentially that would be unrealistic.
Maybe I am being overly harsh though, so, let’s look at the statistics. This is the 4th consecutive World Cup Japan have qualified for. In 2002, they were the joint holders of the competition along with South Korea, who outshined their co-hosts and made it to the elusive semi-finals. However, Japan did at least win some games and make it through to the second round.
In 1998 and 2006 Japan faired a lot worse. In their first ever World Cup appearance in France, they lost all three games. In 2006 they could only muster one draw against Croatia, effectively meaning they have not won a World Cup game on foreign soil yet.
If Japan are going to “defy” expectations then it is their midfield that is going to have to get them there. Junichi Inamoto is still about, an integral part of the defensive midfield. Next to him lines up Makoto Hasebe, one of the rare players to play outside the J-League – for German side Wolfsburg.
Another player who plies his trade elsewhere is Keisuke Honda. The CSKA Moscow midfielder is a powerful player, but also has an eye for a goal. Expect him to bring some European style to the Japanese midfield.
Ex-Celtic star, and Japan’s most famous player, Shunsuke Nakamura shall add slight glamour to the side. Yet, whether his left-foot can carry the team to a victory, let alone to the semi-finals, is once again debatable. Nakamura’s set pieces are a dangerous threat, but he will have to share this role with Yasuhito Endo, who got voted Asian Player of the Year in 2009.
Yuji Nakazawa is Japan’s captain and also their most experienced player. The centre-back is solid and having gained over 100caps for his country, he will be looked upon to lead the defensive line against the high quality opposition that Japan are set to face.
Japan have been drawn in Group E in South Africa. It is not the hardest group but it will still be a struggle for the Samurai Blues. The Netherlands are the likely team to top the group. Cameroon are one of the best African sides in the tournament. The Danes came through a tough qualifying campaign, beating off the likes of Sweden and Portugal, but then again Japan fended off Qatar and Uzbekistan.
The midfield 5 will need to shine if the sun is not to set on the Japanese advance on South Africa. How they will fair in reality will no doubt be obvious to all in Britain come tomorrow, when the Japanese face England in a friendly in Austria. Semi-finals? Fully unachievable.
Friday 28 May 2010
Ivory Coast
When you talk about “The Big 5” in Africa one of the animals you are referring to is the elephant, in African football this is no different. The Elephants are one of the 6 nations representing Africa this year in the first World Cup to be held on African soil, in South Africa. How one of the greatest African sides will fair though, is very much debatable.
The Ivory Coast cruised through qualifying, but then what would you expect against teams such as Burkina Faso, Malawi and Guinea, with no disrespect intended, but ultimately given. However, qualification came not without trouble, as 22 supporters died after an excited crowd, crammed into an already packed stadium to watch the Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5-0 in their opening group game. This was an extremely sad way to start the final road to the finals.
More unrest came when Manager Vahid Halihodiz got sacked, after a poor team performance in the African Cup of Nations this January having already qualified for 2010. It was the coaches second loss in 2 years of football, yet his criticism of the players came back to haunt him, with them seemingly forcing the successful manager out without a replacement. In March though, Sven Goran-Eriksson took the mantel, giving the star players the star manager they undoubtedly craved.
In 2006 the Ivory Coast made their first ever appearance in the World Cup but fortune did not favour them. The Elephants got drawn in the “Group of Death” along with the Netherlands, Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro. Two 2-1 losses against Argentina and the Netherlands saw an early exit, however, they did restore some pride in beating Serbia and Montenegro 3-2 to give them their first World Cup points and victory.
In 2010 they appear no luckier. Brazil and Portugal both got drawn in Group G alongside the Ivory Coast, with North Korea the unlucky hitchhikers. This is an especially hard group, which says more about the state of the African side than about the other nations.
The main star is one everybody who knows anything about football, or possibly even not know about football, should know well. Didier Drogba is the Ivorian captain. The Chelsea star is one of the best strikers in the World, with an unbelievable international scoring record, 42 goals in 66 caps. If he plays well, the Ivory Coast plays well. If he plays poorly, the Ivory Coast plays poorly. Therefore, his form is imperative, his diving antics and hot-headedness are less welcome at the finals.
There is a battle to partner Drogba in South Africa, with Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane and Bakary Kone each bidding for that spot. Kalou’s increased form at Chelsea may well see Eriksson give him the nod and he will no doubt not disappoint.
The centre of midfield then boasts one of the World’s most destructive pairings as Sevilla’s Didier Zokora and Barcelona’s Yaya Toure dominate that area of the pitch. Yaya Toure is one of the best defensive midfielders in world football, yet his partner in crime is just as capable, meaning that Yaya will on occasions be looked upon to provide support to the frontline, an usual experience for the Ivorian.
Yaya’s brother Kolo plays behind him in the heart of the Ivory Coast defence. His form at Arsenal seemed to dither slightly towards the end of this spell there, yet his time at Manchester City has once again reinvigorated the defensive dynamo. Next to Kolo on the right-hand side of defence is his ex-Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Eboue. Eboue has come in for some stick over recent years at Arsenal, although his form over the last 6 months has been blistering. Utilised by Arsene Wenger in almost any position, expect him to wander the pitch, but to play effective football nonetheless.
The problems start for the Ivory Coast with their lack of preparation time for the new man in charge, Eriksson. Only 3 weeks will be provided and although this team has known each other for a long time, their reliance on Drogba, despite other big international names, is still evident. In positions where no egos are placed, players who are not quite of an international standard fill the gaps.
The left-side of defence is a problematic area, with no stable left-back, and Hibernian’s Souleymane Bamba on the left side of the central pairing. Although the midfield provides superb defensive cover, behind them is a keeper prone to making a variance of performances. Barry may be the firm Ivory Coast number 1, but in his time playing in Belgium, he won awards for his inconsistency in his performance...
So, Africa will hold its collective breathe to see whether the Elephants can do what they failed to achieve in 2006 and escape the “Group of Death”. Unfortunately, despite the extra push they may receive from playing in Africa for the first time, the poachers of Brazil and Portugal may well prove too much for this endangered species.
The Ivory Coast cruised through qualifying, but then what would you expect against teams such as Burkina Faso, Malawi and Guinea, with no disrespect intended, but ultimately given. However, qualification came not without trouble, as 22 supporters died after an excited crowd, crammed into an already packed stadium to watch the Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5-0 in their opening group game. This was an extremely sad way to start the final road to the finals.
More unrest came when Manager Vahid Halihodiz got sacked, after a poor team performance in the African Cup of Nations this January having already qualified for 2010. It was the coaches second loss in 2 years of football, yet his criticism of the players came back to haunt him, with them seemingly forcing the successful manager out without a replacement. In March though, Sven Goran-Eriksson took the mantel, giving the star players the star manager they undoubtedly craved.
In 2006 the Ivory Coast made their first ever appearance in the World Cup but fortune did not favour them. The Elephants got drawn in the “Group of Death” along with the Netherlands, Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro. Two 2-1 losses against Argentina and the Netherlands saw an early exit, however, they did restore some pride in beating Serbia and Montenegro 3-2 to give them their first World Cup points and victory.
In 2010 they appear no luckier. Brazil and Portugal both got drawn in Group G alongside the Ivory Coast, with North Korea the unlucky hitchhikers. This is an especially hard group, which says more about the state of the African side than about the other nations.
The main star is one everybody who knows anything about football, or possibly even not know about football, should know well. Didier Drogba is the Ivorian captain. The Chelsea star is one of the best strikers in the World, with an unbelievable international scoring record, 42 goals in 66 caps. If he plays well, the Ivory Coast plays well. If he plays poorly, the Ivory Coast plays poorly. Therefore, his form is imperative, his diving antics and hot-headedness are less welcome at the finals.
There is a battle to partner Drogba in South Africa, with Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane and Bakary Kone each bidding for that spot. Kalou’s increased form at Chelsea may well see Eriksson give him the nod and he will no doubt not disappoint.
The centre of midfield then boasts one of the World’s most destructive pairings as Sevilla’s Didier Zokora and Barcelona’s Yaya Toure dominate that area of the pitch. Yaya Toure is one of the best defensive midfielders in world football, yet his partner in crime is just as capable, meaning that Yaya will on occasions be looked upon to provide support to the frontline, an usual experience for the Ivorian.
Yaya’s brother Kolo plays behind him in the heart of the Ivory Coast defence. His form at Arsenal seemed to dither slightly towards the end of this spell there, yet his time at Manchester City has once again reinvigorated the defensive dynamo. Next to Kolo on the right-hand side of defence is his ex-Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Eboue. Eboue has come in for some stick over recent years at Arsenal, although his form over the last 6 months has been blistering. Utilised by Arsene Wenger in almost any position, expect him to wander the pitch, but to play effective football nonetheless.
The problems start for the Ivory Coast with their lack of preparation time for the new man in charge, Eriksson. Only 3 weeks will be provided and although this team has known each other for a long time, their reliance on Drogba, despite other big international names, is still evident. In positions where no egos are placed, players who are not quite of an international standard fill the gaps.
The left-side of defence is a problematic area, with no stable left-back, and Hibernian’s Souleymane Bamba on the left side of the central pairing. Although the midfield provides superb defensive cover, behind them is a keeper prone to making a variance of performances. Barry may be the firm Ivory Coast number 1, but in his time playing in Belgium, he won awards for his inconsistency in his performance...
So, Africa will hold its collective breathe to see whether the Elephants can do what they failed to achieve in 2006 and escape the “Group of Death”. Unfortunately, despite the extra push they may receive from playing in Africa for the first time, the poachers of Brazil and Portugal may well prove too much for this endangered species.
Italy
The famous boot of Italy is one of Europe’s iconic landmarks, and it is inhabited by Europe’s most successful football nation. Italy have won the World Cup on 4 previous occasions and, going into the tournament, are the World Champions having won in Germany in 2006. Whether they will remain so on leaving African soil is yet to be decided.
Italy is only one of two nations that have won the World Cup consecutively, although the tournament was very different in 1934 and 1938 to what it is now. Brazil, unsurprisingly, are the other successful country, having won in 1958 and 1962, another era long gone. Yet, to rule Italy out on the assumption that it is clear that the teams you face play doubly as hard to prevent you from earning glory again is somewhat misguided.
Italy are once again under the control of Marcello Lippi, after he was coaxed back to manage the national side after a poor Euro 2008 campaign. The ex-Juve man relies heavily on the Juventus of today to provide players for the squad, players which he has known for a prolonged period it seems, with as many as 6 or 7 of his probably starting 11 being over the age of 30, and not by a short way either.
This age factor does appear to be a cause for concern, with many believing the likes of Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Buffon, Pirlo, Camoranesi and Gattuso – to name a few – are far beyond their use-by date. However, when you consider that Italy generally rely on 1-0 concrete defensive victories, what better players would you want then those that have enough experience to know how to keep a sinking ship afloat?
Qualifying, although at times a little nerve-racking, was, in statistical terms, a breeze. Admittedly a lack of goals were scored, with Gilardino being the top scorer on a less than impressive 4, especially so when 3 of those goals came against Cyrus in the final match having already qualified. Yet, you do not need to score many if you do not concede many, something which the Azzurri are more than adept at.
Despite this wealth of experience and class that will mean we witness Grosso and Zambrotta bombing up and down their respective wings, whilst Pirlo creates in the middle of the park, with Camoranesi providing some fire-power and a fiery attitude to proceedings, it is Daniele De Rossi who has gradually stolen the Italian crown that players such as Del Piero and Francesco Totti have donned before him.
This midfield maestro has it all. He creates, breaks-up play, scores and his work-rate is above all else. The talisman of the Azzurri is expected to take over the captaincy once Cannavaro’s legs finally give way (with the reason why he has been able to last so long probably due to the fact he has less height with which his legs have to hold up than any other world renowned central defender). Cannavaro may wear the armband, but De Rossi wears the Italian nation on his heart.
Buffon will be expected to keep his goal empty of balls throughout the tournament, whereas Gilardino and Iaquinta will be hoping to do the opposite down the other end. Both are good target men to hit, but their goal scoring record leaves much to be desired. But then again, so does Emile Heskey’s. Expect these two tall target men to cause enough havoc for other members of the Italian squad to finish off the moves.
South Africa sees Italy drawn in Group F where they face Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. It may be harder to find an easier World Cup group. I say may and not will because there is a slight chance you possibly have not seen England’s draw... This is not to say it will be easy, just the group is favourable for the Italians who should comfortably make it through the group stages. This should set them on their way, especially with a second round match against Denmark, Japan or Cameroon facing them afterwards.
The quarter-finals though should see Italy face Spain, or possibly even Brazil. At this stage, despite their wealth of experience, with goals hard to come by, a loss may be on the cards for Lippi’s men. However, a lukewarm Italian side won in 2006, can an aging one win in 2010?
Italy is only one of two nations that have won the World Cup consecutively, although the tournament was very different in 1934 and 1938 to what it is now. Brazil, unsurprisingly, are the other successful country, having won in 1958 and 1962, another era long gone. Yet, to rule Italy out on the assumption that it is clear that the teams you face play doubly as hard to prevent you from earning glory again is somewhat misguided.
Italy are once again under the control of Marcello Lippi, after he was coaxed back to manage the national side after a poor Euro 2008 campaign. The ex-Juve man relies heavily on the Juventus of today to provide players for the squad, players which he has known for a prolonged period it seems, with as many as 6 or 7 of his probably starting 11 being over the age of 30, and not by a short way either.
This age factor does appear to be a cause for concern, with many believing the likes of Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Buffon, Pirlo, Camoranesi and Gattuso – to name a few – are far beyond their use-by date. However, when you consider that Italy generally rely on 1-0 concrete defensive victories, what better players would you want then those that have enough experience to know how to keep a sinking ship afloat?
Qualifying, although at times a little nerve-racking, was, in statistical terms, a breeze. Admittedly a lack of goals were scored, with Gilardino being the top scorer on a less than impressive 4, especially so when 3 of those goals came against Cyrus in the final match having already qualified. Yet, you do not need to score many if you do not concede many, something which the Azzurri are more than adept at.
Despite this wealth of experience and class that will mean we witness Grosso and Zambrotta bombing up and down their respective wings, whilst Pirlo creates in the middle of the park, with Camoranesi providing some fire-power and a fiery attitude to proceedings, it is Daniele De Rossi who has gradually stolen the Italian crown that players such as Del Piero and Francesco Totti have donned before him.
This midfield maestro has it all. He creates, breaks-up play, scores and his work-rate is above all else. The talisman of the Azzurri is expected to take over the captaincy once Cannavaro’s legs finally give way (with the reason why he has been able to last so long probably due to the fact he has less height with which his legs have to hold up than any other world renowned central defender). Cannavaro may wear the armband, but De Rossi wears the Italian nation on his heart.
Buffon will be expected to keep his goal empty of balls throughout the tournament, whereas Gilardino and Iaquinta will be hoping to do the opposite down the other end. Both are good target men to hit, but their goal scoring record leaves much to be desired. But then again, so does Emile Heskey’s. Expect these two tall target men to cause enough havoc for other members of the Italian squad to finish off the moves.
South Africa sees Italy drawn in Group F where they face Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. It may be harder to find an easier World Cup group. I say may and not will because there is a slight chance you possibly have not seen England’s draw... This is not to say it will be easy, just the group is favourable for the Italians who should comfortably make it through the group stages. This should set them on their way, especially with a second round match against Denmark, Japan or Cameroon facing them afterwards.
The quarter-finals though should see Italy face Spain, or possibly even Brazil. At this stage, despite their wealth of experience, with goals hard to come by, a loss may be on the cards for Lippi’s men. However, a lukewarm Italian side won in 2006, can an aging one win in 2010?
Honduras
The tiny country from Central America is stepping out onto the World’s biggest stage for only the second time in their colourful history. A 1-1 draw against hosts Spain in 1982 was a superb achievement, but one further draw against Northern Ireland and a loss against Yugoslavia were enough to send them home after a brief encounter with the World Cup.
28 years later and a tasty tie against European champions Spain is yet again on offer, a 1-1 draw here would certainly eclipse their finest hour in 82. Unfortunately, that outcome is somewhat unrealistic, so it may be against Switzerland and Chile that the success of their trip to South Africa is decided.
Yet, really the true success was getting there in the first place. Amongst a presidential coup – of Jose Manuel Zelaya – Honduras saw qualification fall within their grasp, only to be taken away again briefly after a loss to Mexico and the USA. With one game to go, away at El Salvador, Los Catrachos were sitting 4th in the group, with Costa Rica two points above them where a tricky tie against the USA awaited them.
Carlos Pavon scored the only goal, giving Honduras a 1-0 victory. The radios around the stand were then quickly turned on to listen to the fate of the other match. Costa Rica were winning 2-1, leaving Honduras in a play-off position. However, in the 94th minute American defender Jonathan Bornstein scored a last-gasp equaliser, sending the Honduran fans into ecstasy, as they qualified automatically due to having a greater goal difference than the unfortunate Costa Rica.
The country declared a national holiday in celebration of the achievement, much to the annoyance of Harry Redknapp, whose player Wilson Palacios was refused a flight back to England in order to return in time for his Premier League match for Spurs, instead being forced to join in with the celebrations that were in store. It is a hard life for some.
Expect Palacios to be the driving force behind the Honduran side, in a team that is expected to lose emphatically in South Africa. Renowned for his defensive ability, Palacios may well also be burdened with creating opportunities further up the field, not because he is necessarily the most attacking player, but simply because he is by far the best footballer the country has.
The Wigan pair of Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa will add some familiarity to the team, yet despite both playing in England, to say they were even the highlight of the Wigan side would be like suggesting that Hamilton Accies can win the SPL next season. Sure, they are in the same league as Rangers and Celtic and on one-off occasions they can cause an upset, but they are never going to outperform them consistently. Honduras will be hoping for at least three one-off occasions this summer.
Anchoring the midfield is veteran captain Amado Guevara. He is one of a number of players who now plays domestic football back in his home country, however, having been capped a record breaking 133 times by Honduras, expect him to play a fundamental role in organising and inspiring his fellow teammates.
Up front, Genoa’s striker David Suazo will be looked upon to bag the vital goal. The Honduran has been flaunting his trade in Serie A since 1999, and is officially on loan from Inter Milan. In 2006 Suazo won foreign player of the year in Serie A, so clearly he has the potential to perform at a high level.
Columbian coach Reinaldo Rueda has already succeeded well above expectations in advancing Honduras to South Africa. He has been granted Honduran citizenship due to his achievement but anything other than a group stage exit will be a miracle. He will organise his side well, relying on a defence that conceding the least amount of goals in the CONCACAF group. However, players are apparently prone to lapses of concentration and against better opponents expect this to be punished.
Honduras has done exceptional well to make it to the World Cup, however, if they expect anything from their campaign they are likely to go home embarrassed. Spain are one of the natural favourites for the competition and Chile are regarded by most as a possible surprise package. The Swiss are generally boring but always do alright, effectively leaving Honduras with an insurmountable task. Hopefully they will at least score a few goals and provide their fans with some reason to cheer come June.
28 years later and a tasty tie against European champions Spain is yet again on offer, a 1-1 draw here would certainly eclipse their finest hour in 82. Unfortunately, that outcome is somewhat unrealistic, so it may be against Switzerland and Chile that the success of their trip to South Africa is decided.
Yet, really the true success was getting there in the first place. Amongst a presidential coup – of Jose Manuel Zelaya – Honduras saw qualification fall within their grasp, only to be taken away again briefly after a loss to Mexico and the USA. With one game to go, away at El Salvador, Los Catrachos were sitting 4th in the group, with Costa Rica two points above them where a tricky tie against the USA awaited them.
Carlos Pavon scored the only goal, giving Honduras a 1-0 victory. The radios around the stand were then quickly turned on to listen to the fate of the other match. Costa Rica were winning 2-1, leaving Honduras in a play-off position. However, in the 94th minute American defender Jonathan Bornstein scored a last-gasp equaliser, sending the Honduran fans into ecstasy, as they qualified automatically due to having a greater goal difference than the unfortunate Costa Rica.
The country declared a national holiday in celebration of the achievement, much to the annoyance of Harry Redknapp, whose player Wilson Palacios was refused a flight back to England in order to return in time for his Premier League match for Spurs, instead being forced to join in with the celebrations that were in store. It is a hard life for some.
Expect Palacios to be the driving force behind the Honduran side, in a team that is expected to lose emphatically in South Africa. Renowned for his defensive ability, Palacios may well also be burdened with creating opportunities further up the field, not because he is necessarily the most attacking player, but simply because he is by far the best footballer the country has.
The Wigan pair of Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa will add some familiarity to the team, yet despite both playing in England, to say they were even the highlight of the Wigan side would be like suggesting that Hamilton Accies can win the SPL next season. Sure, they are in the same league as Rangers and Celtic and on one-off occasions they can cause an upset, but they are never going to outperform them consistently. Honduras will be hoping for at least three one-off occasions this summer.
Anchoring the midfield is veteran captain Amado Guevara. He is one of a number of players who now plays domestic football back in his home country, however, having been capped a record breaking 133 times by Honduras, expect him to play a fundamental role in organising and inspiring his fellow teammates.
Up front, Genoa’s striker David Suazo will be looked upon to bag the vital goal. The Honduran has been flaunting his trade in Serie A since 1999, and is officially on loan from Inter Milan. In 2006 Suazo won foreign player of the year in Serie A, so clearly he has the potential to perform at a high level.
Columbian coach Reinaldo Rueda has already succeeded well above expectations in advancing Honduras to South Africa. He has been granted Honduran citizenship due to his achievement but anything other than a group stage exit will be a miracle. He will organise his side well, relying on a defence that conceding the least amount of goals in the CONCACAF group. However, players are apparently prone to lapses of concentration and against better opponents expect this to be punished.
Honduras has done exceptional well to make it to the World Cup, however, if they expect anything from their campaign they are likely to go home embarrassed. Spain are one of the natural favourites for the competition and Chile are regarded by most as a possible surprise package. The Swiss are generally boring but always do alright, effectively leaving Honduras with an insurmountable task. Hopefully they will at least score a few goals and provide their fans with some reason to cheer come June.
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Wacky World Cup Adverts
Watching a game of football is meant to be a form of entertainment. The main test for how entertaining a match is, is not the possession percentage, the shots of target to overall shots ratio, but how long it takes the crowd to start a Mexican wave. 28 minutes it took for one to be formed around Wembley in England’s friendly against Mexico, showing just how bored the crowd were.
King and Crouch had scored scrappy goals before Franco put one in for Mexico on the stroke of half time. The Mexicans deserved the goal after playing more of the attractive football, with Baines, King and Ferdinand all looking slightly suspect at the back on occasions.
England was playing the North American opponents in a bid to gage how the USA may play in the group stages of the World Cup which commences in just under a month. So in a bid to become more American myself, my thoughts drifted to how our cousins across the Atlantic view sport.
Naturally my first inkling was to think outwith the realms of soccer and instead contemplate on what the Americans call “football”. This connotation took me towards the Superbowl. And what is the main attraction of the Superbowl? The Television adverts! So as half time commenced I decided I would scrutinise which football players had already performed well this summer.
First man on my screen is 6ft 7in robot lanky man Peter Crouch. The Spurs striker appears in two adverts for his main scalp, the one and only, Pringles...Not only does he lose all credibility for another robot dance performance, this is imitated by a fat man who looks like he is in the middle of Barcelona, nowhere near South Africa, but also that checked shirt just doesn’t do it for him. Fortunately, he is redeemed slightly due to the fact he appears alongside Anelka, Fabregas and Dirk Kuyt. Very slightly. Yet, exclaiming “Pringoooals” at the end just about sums up this decisively poor commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24E8q0vhRss
Albeit, that is the better of his two forms of embarrassment. Next in front of my eyes, a plethora of talent, one which truly encapsulates the essence of the World Cup, let down only by their ending slogan “Write Your Future” – boring (and rather misleading, as we simpletons cannot write our own future as we are not one of the men fortunate to represent our country in South Africa). Superstar after superstar enter this 3 minute long escapade, yet it is worth every second. The intensity of emotions, the highs of winning to the lows of losing all summed up by Nike. Frank Ribery to Kobe Byrant, from witnessing Wayne Rooney in his natural habitat, to him beating Roger Federer at tabletennis. As for Homer Simpson, his part is sheer class. But then what else did we expect from Nike?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE
Frank Lampard is the next man up, joining the renegades who did not quite make the cut in the Nike advert, yet still are well above the likes of Peter Crouch. Pepsi provide the first commercial that actually presents an African feel, with the setting and song both clearly being inspired by that continent. Lampard at times looks like the in animal of the moment, the Meerkat. As for the shirts, a most have for any night out that is labelled “Bad Shirt Night”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1hMSL7vyD0
Nationwide have incorporated the whole of the English team, as they are one of their main sponsors this is understandable. Capello even gets a starring role. Unfortunately though, they have opted to use a Little Britain sketch which has long surpassed its use-by date. Originality is low, the comedy even less so. Therefore, despite having the use of all the England players who did not have better commercial deals, this advert is somewhat lacking in style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYDS-D8BN5g
Carlsberg have also offered us an attempt at an iconic advert, without compromising on their slogan. There are legends throughout, in terms of the advert and also English history. Sir Ralph Fiennes is even involved. Jeff Stelling gracing us with the English flag stamped across his bare-chest is a moment of genius. However, it all feels a little over the top. The Sir Bobby Robson part, although an extremely nice gesture to a man who deserves such honour, helps push it too far. A good effort, but unfortunately verging on the point of being cringe worthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66OuJZGDCHE
Next we are all “Crossing Our Fingers” for the KitKat ad. The commercial talks the nation through everything we are hoping for at this upcoming World Cup. It is dull and boring. Their main star – Sol Campbell. I think that pretty much says it all. I for one am not that bothered about seeing a chubby 10year old squeeze through the crowd to get Campbell’s signature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVafJeZMB4
Finally before the second half commences, where Glen Johnson goes on to score a good goal to ease England to a 3-1 victory in an unconvincing performance, we get the joys of seeing John Barnes perform a rap for Mars. The rap is absolutely terrible, although I think that is part of the joke. The rest of the joke includes the fact that Mars have a more than pleasantly plump Barnes rapping away, clearly having enjoyed testing the product out before his shoot, yet his legs remain incredibly thin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi_64ifLI9U
So, it is Nike again that come out as ‘King of the Ads’. But what did we expect from the company that brought us the Brazil team dancing their way through an airport terminal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbFmK4zZ9Ys) or the cage tournament in 2002 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egNMC6YfpeE). Still, can you really beat El Tel, Graeme Le Saux and Gareth Southgate with a bag over his head, walking into a pillar in pizza hut, whilst the others exclaimed “This time he’s hit the post”? Classic.
King and Crouch had scored scrappy goals before Franco put one in for Mexico on the stroke of half time. The Mexicans deserved the goal after playing more of the attractive football, with Baines, King and Ferdinand all looking slightly suspect at the back on occasions.
England was playing the North American opponents in a bid to gage how the USA may play in the group stages of the World Cup which commences in just under a month. So in a bid to become more American myself, my thoughts drifted to how our cousins across the Atlantic view sport.
Naturally my first inkling was to think outwith the realms of soccer and instead contemplate on what the Americans call “football”. This connotation took me towards the Superbowl. And what is the main attraction of the Superbowl? The Television adverts! So as half time commenced I decided I would scrutinise which football players had already performed well this summer.
First man on my screen is 6ft 7in robot lanky man Peter Crouch. The Spurs striker appears in two adverts for his main scalp, the one and only, Pringles...Not only does he lose all credibility for another robot dance performance, this is imitated by a fat man who looks like he is in the middle of Barcelona, nowhere near South Africa, but also that checked shirt just doesn’t do it for him. Fortunately, he is redeemed slightly due to the fact he appears alongside Anelka, Fabregas and Dirk Kuyt. Very slightly. Yet, exclaiming “Pringoooals” at the end just about sums up this decisively poor commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24E8q0vhRss
Albeit, that is the better of his two forms of embarrassment. Next in front of my eyes, a plethora of talent, one which truly encapsulates the essence of the World Cup, let down only by their ending slogan “Write Your Future” – boring (and rather misleading, as we simpletons cannot write our own future as we are not one of the men fortunate to represent our country in South Africa). Superstar after superstar enter this 3 minute long escapade, yet it is worth every second. The intensity of emotions, the highs of winning to the lows of losing all summed up by Nike. Frank Ribery to Kobe Byrant, from witnessing Wayne Rooney in his natural habitat, to him beating Roger Federer at tabletennis. As for Homer Simpson, his part is sheer class. But then what else did we expect from Nike?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE
Frank Lampard is the next man up, joining the renegades who did not quite make the cut in the Nike advert, yet still are well above the likes of Peter Crouch. Pepsi provide the first commercial that actually presents an African feel, with the setting and song both clearly being inspired by that continent. Lampard at times looks like the in animal of the moment, the Meerkat. As for the shirts, a most have for any night out that is labelled “Bad Shirt Night”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1hMSL7vyD0
Nationwide have incorporated the whole of the English team, as they are one of their main sponsors this is understandable. Capello even gets a starring role. Unfortunately though, they have opted to use a Little Britain sketch which has long surpassed its use-by date. Originality is low, the comedy even less so. Therefore, despite having the use of all the England players who did not have better commercial deals, this advert is somewhat lacking in style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYDS-D8BN5g
Carlsberg have also offered us an attempt at an iconic advert, without compromising on their slogan. There are legends throughout, in terms of the advert and also English history. Sir Ralph Fiennes is even involved. Jeff Stelling gracing us with the English flag stamped across his bare-chest is a moment of genius. However, it all feels a little over the top. The Sir Bobby Robson part, although an extremely nice gesture to a man who deserves such honour, helps push it too far. A good effort, but unfortunately verging on the point of being cringe worthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66OuJZGDCHE
Next we are all “Crossing Our Fingers” for the KitKat ad. The commercial talks the nation through everything we are hoping for at this upcoming World Cup. It is dull and boring. Their main star – Sol Campbell. I think that pretty much says it all. I for one am not that bothered about seeing a chubby 10year old squeeze through the crowd to get Campbell’s signature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVafJeZMB4
Finally before the second half commences, where Glen Johnson goes on to score a good goal to ease England to a 3-1 victory in an unconvincing performance, we get the joys of seeing John Barnes perform a rap for Mars. The rap is absolutely terrible, although I think that is part of the joke. The rest of the joke includes the fact that Mars have a more than pleasantly plump Barnes rapping away, clearly having enjoyed testing the product out before his shoot, yet his legs remain incredibly thin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi_64ifLI9U
So, it is Nike again that come out as ‘King of the Ads’. But what did we expect from the company that brought us the Brazil team dancing their way through an airport terminal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbFmK4zZ9Ys) or the cage tournament in 2002 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egNMC6YfpeE). Still, can you really beat El Tel, Graeme Le Saux and Gareth Southgate with a bag over his head, walking into a pillar in pizza hut, whilst the others exclaimed “This time he’s hit the post”? Classic.
Monday 24 May 2010
Greece
A nation renowned more for its feta cheese than its football travels to South Africa in a desperate attempt to restore some national stability in a country crippled by potential financial insolvency. If evidence was needed that international sporting events can have a positive global impact, reunification amongst the Greeks is surely the proof we want to see from 2010.
This is only the second time Greece have reached the World Cup. In USA 94 they failed to earn a point, or even score a goal, having been beaten comprehensively 4-0 by Argentina and Bulgaria, whilst Nigeria put 2 past them. I am sure the Greek’s are glad they won’t have to play those nations again...
Instead, Greece got drawn in Group B along with Argentina and Nigeria...(oh dear), however, the mighty Bulgaria – who did reach the semi-finals in 1994 with the likes of Stoichkov – have been replaced by South Korea. Greece will be hoping to overhaul some of the ghosts that gave them the worst record in World Cup history.
The Greece of yesteryear and the Greece of today are very different teams however. Sandwiched in between their World Cup appearances came a shock victory in Euro 2004, where they beat hosts Portugal in the final. This memorable achievement and their sturdy defence has enabled them to climb FIFA’s rankings, which meant they got drawn against a lower class side when they only managed to make the playoffs, having been beaten by Switzerland in the group stages of qualifying.
Greece were drawn against the Ukraine and having played a shutout in Athens they were up against it on the return trip to Donetsk. Once more though, the defence proved impossible to break down and one goal from Salpigidis proved to be enough to send the Europeans to Africa.
Greece are managed by Otto Rehhagel, a German with a wealth of experience in both playing and managerial roles. He is the only man to have participated in 1,000 Bundesliga games as a player and a coach, an outstanding achievement. The 4-3-3 formation is a favourite of his but expect the side to both attack, and more importantly, defend as a team.
In the team there are few recognisable names, although that may be due to some of them being called Sokratis Papastathopoulos. If Papastathopoulos is partnered at the back by Papadopoulos flick your screen onto Sky Sports News and let’s hope that Dean Windass is reporting on the game. However, this is an unlikely event with Liverpool’s Kyrgiakos being the first choice centre-back.
Karagounis will no doubt play a fundamental part in the midfield, with the captain very adept at keeping possession of the ball. A skill which is necessary if the attackers are caught further down the field defending as the manager requires.
Celtic’s Samaras will be playing as one of the front three. Leading the line will be Fanis Gekas. Gekas was the Europe’s top scorer in the World Cup qualifiers with 10 goals and so will be looked upon to grab the vital goal for the Greek defence to then manically protect. Charisteas makes the three complete, and if you are wondering why you recognise his name, it is because the Nurnberg striker scored the goal that crowned Greece European Champions in 2004.
Greece have a very organised team. Opponents will find them hard to break down, giving the Greeks an opportunity to galvanize their nation. Argentina should top the group, but under Maradona a shock exit may occur. This leaves a Nigeria side who has seen better days and South Korea who surely cannot do anything like what they did in 2002. One slightly nervous point though is that they came second in qualifying to a team who relies on Alex Frei, a great underachiever. If they cannot topple Switzerland, who can they beat?
This is only the second time Greece have reached the World Cup. In USA 94 they failed to earn a point, or even score a goal, having been beaten comprehensively 4-0 by Argentina and Bulgaria, whilst Nigeria put 2 past them. I am sure the Greek’s are glad they won’t have to play those nations again...
Instead, Greece got drawn in Group B along with Argentina and Nigeria...(oh dear), however, the mighty Bulgaria – who did reach the semi-finals in 1994 with the likes of Stoichkov – have been replaced by South Korea. Greece will be hoping to overhaul some of the ghosts that gave them the worst record in World Cup history.
The Greece of yesteryear and the Greece of today are very different teams however. Sandwiched in between their World Cup appearances came a shock victory in Euro 2004, where they beat hosts Portugal in the final. This memorable achievement and their sturdy defence has enabled them to climb FIFA’s rankings, which meant they got drawn against a lower class side when they only managed to make the playoffs, having been beaten by Switzerland in the group stages of qualifying.
Greece were drawn against the Ukraine and having played a shutout in Athens they were up against it on the return trip to Donetsk. Once more though, the defence proved impossible to break down and one goal from Salpigidis proved to be enough to send the Europeans to Africa.
Greece are managed by Otto Rehhagel, a German with a wealth of experience in both playing and managerial roles. He is the only man to have participated in 1,000 Bundesliga games as a player and a coach, an outstanding achievement. The 4-3-3 formation is a favourite of his but expect the side to both attack, and more importantly, defend as a team.
In the team there are few recognisable names, although that may be due to some of them being called Sokratis Papastathopoulos. If Papastathopoulos is partnered at the back by Papadopoulos flick your screen onto Sky Sports News and let’s hope that Dean Windass is reporting on the game. However, this is an unlikely event with Liverpool’s Kyrgiakos being the first choice centre-back.
Karagounis will no doubt play a fundamental part in the midfield, with the captain very adept at keeping possession of the ball. A skill which is necessary if the attackers are caught further down the field defending as the manager requires.
Celtic’s Samaras will be playing as one of the front three. Leading the line will be Fanis Gekas. Gekas was the Europe’s top scorer in the World Cup qualifiers with 10 goals and so will be looked upon to grab the vital goal for the Greek defence to then manically protect. Charisteas makes the three complete, and if you are wondering why you recognise his name, it is because the Nurnberg striker scored the goal that crowned Greece European Champions in 2004.
Greece have a very organised team. Opponents will find them hard to break down, giving the Greeks an opportunity to galvanize their nation. Argentina should top the group, but under Maradona a shock exit may occur. This leaves a Nigeria side who has seen better days and South Korea who surely cannot do anything like what they did in 2002. One slightly nervous point though is that they came second in qualifying to a team who relies on Alex Frei, a great underachiever. If they cannot topple Switzerland, who can they beat?
Ghana
The Black Stars run into the World Cup after a depleted side made a surprisingly appearance in the final of the African Cup of Nations in February – which they lost to Egypt. Ghana were without Essien (who got injured) and Sulley Muntari (who was left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons) yet still managed to perform the best of the African nations who have qualified for South Africa, using rising stars who helped Ghana win the Under 20 Youth World Cup in 2009.
Muntari has patched up his differences with manager Milvan Rajevac and so should be a creative force in the Ghanaian midfield, whilst there are questions over Essien’s fitness after having knee surgery. Realistically though, even an unfit Essien is probably going to be the first name on the team sheet.
Milovan Rajevac, as the name may suggest, is himself not of African origin. Instead the Serb will be organising a side whose competition includes that of his homeland. For many, Serbia may be the surprisingly nation in this year’s World Cup – there is always one and hopes on North Korea and New Zealand are futile verging on mad (in one case in particular) – and with Australia and Germany being the other two opponents, to progress to the second round as they did in their first World Cup in 2006 will be a major achievement.
In 2006 Ghana progressed only to meet Brazil in the second round. If the Black Stars do make it through the group, probably by gaining a second place slot, fortune does not favour them, with a likely match against the English the probable outcome.
Unlike the Ghanaian midfield the defence has no real international names, so keeping a clean sheet at the tournament may be difficult. On top of this, the African side also play with the lone striker Gyan, and despite the frontman having a good scoring record, the Black Stars only managed to score 4 goals in 5 games in reaching the final of the African Cup of Nations. For a group as tough as the one they are in – Group D – both of these areas are simply not good enough.
One player to watch in the tournament may be that of Kwadwo Asamoah. The Udinese 21 year old is the creative force behind the side and will be looking to take his African Cup of Nations form into the upcoming World Cup.
The rest of the side has more of a destructive nature with defender John Mensah being commonly referred to as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’, Michael Essien picking up the nickname ‘The Bison’, whilst Stephen Appiah is known as ‘The Tornado’. This tough fighting attitude is going to be needed against the likes of Vidic, Podolski and Lucas Neill.
Ghana have been unfortunate. The squad does provide much potential, yet through injuries to key players in the run-up to the tournament and by being drawn in a very difficult group, their chances to progress, I believe, look more like the typical female waistline of those on show in Edinburgh, as opposed to those witnessed in the sun in Glasgow. An unsteady defence, coupled with a lack of goals, mean that a fighting midfield will struggle to force their nation into the second round.
Muntari has patched up his differences with manager Milvan Rajevac and so should be a creative force in the Ghanaian midfield, whilst there are questions over Essien’s fitness after having knee surgery. Realistically though, even an unfit Essien is probably going to be the first name on the team sheet.
Milovan Rajevac, as the name may suggest, is himself not of African origin. Instead the Serb will be organising a side whose competition includes that of his homeland. For many, Serbia may be the surprisingly nation in this year’s World Cup – there is always one and hopes on North Korea and New Zealand are futile verging on mad (in one case in particular) – and with Australia and Germany being the other two opponents, to progress to the second round as they did in their first World Cup in 2006 will be a major achievement.
In 2006 Ghana progressed only to meet Brazil in the second round. If the Black Stars do make it through the group, probably by gaining a second place slot, fortune does not favour them, with a likely match against the English the probable outcome.
Unlike the Ghanaian midfield the defence has no real international names, so keeping a clean sheet at the tournament may be difficult. On top of this, the African side also play with the lone striker Gyan, and despite the frontman having a good scoring record, the Black Stars only managed to score 4 goals in 5 games in reaching the final of the African Cup of Nations. For a group as tough as the one they are in – Group D – both of these areas are simply not good enough.
One player to watch in the tournament may be that of Kwadwo Asamoah. The Udinese 21 year old is the creative force behind the side and will be looking to take his African Cup of Nations form into the upcoming World Cup.
The rest of the side has more of a destructive nature with defender John Mensah being commonly referred to as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’, Michael Essien picking up the nickname ‘The Bison’, whilst Stephen Appiah is known as ‘The Tornado’. This tough fighting attitude is going to be needed against the likes of Vidic, Podolski and Lucas Neill.
Ghana have been unfortunate. The squad does provide much potential, yet through injuries to key players in the run-up to the tournament and by being drawn in a very difficult group, their chances to progress, I believe, look more like the typical female waistline of those on show in Edinburgh, as opposed to those witnessed in the sun in Glasgow. An unsteady defence, coupled with a lack of goals, mean that a fighting midfield will struggle to force their nation into the second round.
Friday 21 May 2010
Germany
The only nation to have qualified for every World Cup they have been entered into, the Germans are a resounding force in international football. The point is emphasised by the fact that Germany have never lost a World Cup qualifying game away from home, an outstanding achievement in a time when to hear the phrase “there are no easy games in football” and “their stadium is a tough one to go to” are as natural as the English football anthem “Three Lions” topping the charts in the land of bratwurst lovers. Why Del Amitri’s “Don’t Come Home Too Soon” failed to reach that dizzy height remains a mystery.
On top of this, Germany has reached the last 16 in the last 7 World Cups, whilst also winning the tournament 3 times and finishing as runner-up 4 times. In 2002 they were poor, but still reached the final where they lost 2-0 to Brazil. On home soil in 2006, with 119 minutes played a Grosso goal, followed quickly by a Del Piero classic, sent Italy through to the final, leaving Germany to claim bronze position.
Despite what the above may suggest, Germany do not appear to be highly regarded among the media as favourites for the tournament. In fact, many believe they may find themselves embarrassed in a tough opening group – Australia, Ghana and Serbia. A lack of defensive quality is generally regarded as their main weakness, combined with a squad that lacks real quality.
However, when you consider that Joachim Low’s side only conceded 5 goals in the 10 qualifying games, with stars such as Michael Ballack, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, you may wonder if the pundits have their facts straight. Admittedly, the squad does appear to lack depth, and with Ballack now out through injury, their main talisman has gone, yet they should never be so easily discarded.
The greasy hair of Ballack will surely be missed, as this was undoubtedly his last chance to win the world’s biggest competition with him now reaching the tender age of 33. His absence though provides a slot for a British crowd favourite Thomas “The Hammer” Hitzlsperger. The midfielder started his career at Aston Villa where he became a Premier League favourite due to his trademark long-range shot.
Germany’s midfield is actually the strongest part of the team, with Hitzlesperger, Schweinsteiger and, prolific left-winger/striker, Lukas Podolski probably taking 3 out of 5 slots, with the former two playing as holding midfielders.
The attacking right-wing position may be claimed by Thomas Muller, who has had a fine first season for Bayern Munich. The playmaker of the side is Mesut Ozil of Werder Bremen, expect him to play in the hole behind Klose, providing the creativity to unlock even the most sturdy defence.
Miroslav Klose has spent most of this season warming the bench for Champions League finalists Bayern Munich but 48 goals in 94 caps speaks for itself. He has also scored 5 goals in the previous two World Cups, another 5 would no doubt go down well.
Germany’s stability in defence has been criticised despite the inclusion of Per Mertesacker and one of the most exciting full-backs in South Africa Philipp Lahm. Expect to see Lahm bombing up and down the left, or right, wing, linking up play and putting his tiny frame to good use.
However, the keeper position has posed a problem for the Germans, with first choice Robert Enke committing suicide in November, his replacement is either Adler or Neuer, both of whom are inexperienced. And as former German Number 1 Jens Lehmann says “You can’t win the title with relatively inexperienced keepers...[n]either plays regularly in the Champions League, at the highest level”. Is anyone else thinking they have never seen David James in the Champions League?
Germany once more will be a solid unit in the World Cup. To discount them at this stage is naive, however they will need to start well to get through their group, yet I do not see them falling at this hurdle. Will they win the whole tournament? I hope not.
On top of this, Germany has reached the last 16 in the last 7 World Cups, whilst also winning the tournament 3 times and finishing as runner-up 4 times. In 2002 they were poor, but still reached the final where they lost 2-0 to Brazil. On home soil in 2006, with 119 minutes played a Grosso goal, followed quickly by a Del Piero classic, sent Italy through to the final, leaving Germany to claim bronze position.
Despite what the above may suggest, Germany do not appear to be highly regarded among the media as favourites for the tournament. In fact, many believe they may find themselves embarrassed in a tough opening group – Australia, Ghana and Serbia. A lack of defensive quality is generally regarded as their main weakness, combined with a squad that lacks real quality.
However, when you consider that Joachim Low’s side only conceded 5 goals in the 10 qualifying games, with stars such as Michael Ballack, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, you may wonder if the pundits have their facts straight. Admittedly, the squad does appear to lack depth, and with Ballack now out through injury, their main talisman has gone, yet they should never be so easily discarded.
The greasy hair of Ballack will surely be missed, as this was undoubtedly his last chance to win the world’s biggest competition with him now reaching the tender age of 33. His absence though provides a slot for a British crowd favourite Thomas “The Hammer” Hitzlsperger. The midfielder started his career at Aston Villa where he became a Premier League favourite due to his trademark long-range shot.
Germany’s midfield is actually the strongest part of the team, with Hitzlesperger, Schweinsteiger and, prolific left-winger/striker, Lukas Podolski probably taking 3 out of 5 slots, with the former two playing as holding midfielders.
The attacking right-wing position may be claimed by Thomas Muller, who has had a fine first season for Bayern Munich. The playmaker of the side is Mesut Ozil of Werder Bremen, expect him to play in the hole behind Klose, providing the creativity to unlock even the most sturdy defence.
Miroslav Klose has spent most of this season warming the bench for Champions League finalists Bayern Munich but 48 goals in 94 caps speaks for itself. He has also scored 5 goals in the previous two World Cups, another 5 would no doubt go down well.
Germany’s stability in defence has been criticised despite the inclusion of Per Mertesacker and one of the most exciting full-backs in South Africa Philipp Lahm. Expect to see Lahm bombing up and down the left, or right, wing, linking up play and putting his tiny frame to good use.
However, the keeper position has posed a problem for the Germans, with first choice Robert Enke committing suicide in November, his replacement is either Adler or Neuer, both of whom are inexperienced. And as former German Number 1 Jens Lehmann says “You can’t win the title with relatively inexperienced keepers...[n]either plays regularly in the Champions League, at the highest level”. Is anyone else thinking they have never seen David James in the Champions League?
Germany once more will be a solid unit in the World Cup. To discount them at this stage is naive, however they will need to start well to get through their group, yet I do not see them falling at this hurdle. Will they win the whole tournament? I hope not.
Tuesday 18 May 2010
France
Allez Les Bleus? Really? Well, only if we add la maison onto the end of the chant. The French are undoubtedly second in the list of countries not to support at the World Cup this coming summer, with England naturally topping the chart here in Scotland.
In France 98 they were the team everyone was rooting for, yet, after a piece of magic from Trezeguet in 2000, merely four years after their World triumph, the French became the laughing stock, removing the red and blue from their flag and going out bottom of their rather tame World Cup group, only gaining 1 point and scoring 0 goals.
In Germany the French somehow made it to the final but we all know what happened next. Inspirational playmaker Zinedine Zidane put a blemish on his otherwise illustrious career by headbutting Marco Materazzi in the final. His actions resulted in a red card meaning he was unavailable to take a penalty in a shot-out, which Italy won 5-3.
Les Blues then cemented their increasingly poor likeability factor when they put out everyone’s best friends, the Irish, in a qualifying play-off match for this upcoming World Cup. This was bad enough, the fact that France won from a goal set up by Henry’s hand makes it down right scandalous. Even the French themselves were ashamed at the turn of events; that says it all.
In South Africa France will be hoping to change the attitude of worldwide fans with some dazzling displays of brilliance that one can only admire, not scorn. Unfortunately, whether the current crop of players quite have that ability is yet to be discovered. One thing that is certain though, is that if France want to progress, they may need to knock out the hosts, another popular move.
Along with South Africa, Uruguay and Mexico are the opposition that face our across the water neighbours. Effectively, France should top the group, although a shock exit is a possibility, especially with South Africa potentially playing somewhat above themselves, buoyed by the home support.
France’s longest serving manager is at the helm once again, Raymond Domenech surviving the mixed support he gets from wayward tactics and bewildering substitutions. His captain Thierry Henry has had a varied season for Barcelona, and looks like he may be leaving the Nou Camp, whereas Real’s Karim Benzema seems to be finding form that may push his predecessor out of the starting line-up. Especially if Nicolas Anelka keeps his place in the side.
Arguably, it is the wide players that will pose the opposition the greatest threat, with Frank Ribery and Florent Malouda terrorising the Bundesliga and Premiership respective defences. Anchoring the midfield will be Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulalan, which inevitably means that France’s new rising star Yoann Gourcuff may well have to settle for a place on the bench. The creative attacking midfielder in 90appearances for his current side Bordeaux has scored 24 goals and gained 25 assists, so shall not be bad substitute to bring on if a game needs turning.
The defence, with Gallas apart, appears to lack the international experience you may expect. Patrice Evra, unbelievably, only has 27 caps, although nobody can argue with his credentials as a world class left-back. Sagna has established himself as the nations right-back in his 17 caps and enters into his first World Cup. Sevilla’s Escude may partner Gallas, but he too has only 13 caps to his name.
With apparent inexperience at the back you would look to your keeper to provide the authority and stability needed in international football. Hugo Lloris is the man who will take charge between the posts and hopefully he shall be ready to face any opposition that their international opposition throw at him, having played only 9 times for France.
France’s defence is potentially problematic, it has the signs of quality, but lacks the nous needed to win the competition. The side will look to Gallas to guide them through the tournament, although, as anybody who has listened to pundits talk about Arsenal come the end of this season will know, everyone notions that if the Gunners are to progress a new centre-back is required, and they are not talking about Thomas Vermaelen.
Nobody really knows which French side is going to turn up to South Africa. Like the rugby team we see so often in the Six Nations, the nation is very temperamental. There is the possibility that they will crash out in the group stages, however, you should not discount them just yet they may face England in the dreaded quarter-finals.
In France 98 they were the team everyone was rooting for, yet, after a piece of magic from Trezeguet in 2000, merely four years after their World triumph, the French became the laughing stock, removing the red and blue from their flag and going out bottom of their rather tame World Cup group, only gaining 1 point and scoring 0 goals.
In Germany the French somehow made it to the final but we all know what happened next. Inspirational playmaker Zinedine Zidane put a blemish on his otherwise illustrious career by headbutting Marco Materazzi in the final. His actions resulted in a red card meaning he was unavailable to take a penalty in a shot-out, which Italy won 5-3.
Les Blues then cemented their increasingly poor likeability factor when they put out everyone’s best friends, the Irish, in a qualifying play-off match for this upcoming World Cup. This was bad enough, the fact that France won from a goal set up by Henry’s hand makes it down right scandalous. Even the French themselves were ashamed at the turn of events; that says it all.
In South Africa France will be hoping to change the attitude of worldwide fans with some dazzling displays of brilliance that one can only admire, not scorn. Unfortunately, whether the current crop of players quite have that ability is yet to be discovered. One thing that is certain though, is that if France want to progress, they may need to knock out the hosts, another popular move.
Along with South Africa, Uruguay and Mexico are the opposition that face our across the water neighbours. Effectively, France should top the group, although a shock exit is a possibility, especially with South Africa potentially playing somewhat above themselves, buoyed by the home support.
France’s longest serving manager is at the helm once again, Raymond Domenech surviving the mixed support he gets from wayward tactics and bewildering substitutions. His captain Thierry Henry has had a varied season for Barcelona, and looks like he may be leaving the Nou Camp, whereas Real’s Karim Benzema seems to be finding form that may push his predecessor out of the starting line-up. Especially if Nicolas Anelka keeps his place in the side.
Arguably, it is the wide players that will pose the opposition the greatest threat, with Frank Ribery and Florent Malouda terrorising the Bundesliga and Premiership respective defences. Anchoring the midfield will be Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulalan, which inevitably means that France’s new rising star Yoann Gourcuff may well have to settle for a place on the bench. The creative attacking midfielder in 90appearances for his current side Bordeaux has scored 24 goals and gained 25 assists, so shall not be bad substitute to bring on if a game needs turning.
The defence, with Gallas apart, appears to lack the international experience you may expect. Patrice Evra, unbelievably, only has 27 caps, although nobody can argue with his credentials as a world class left-back. Sagna has established himself as the nations right-back in his 17 caps and enters into his first World Cup. Sevilla’s Escude may partner Gallas, but he too has only 13 caps to his name.
With apparent inexperience at the back you would look to your keeper to provide the authority and stability needed in international football. Hugo Lloris is the man who will take charge between the posts and hopefully he shall be ready to face any opposition that their international opposition throw at him, having played only 9 times for France.
France’s defence is potentially problematic, it has the signs of quality, but lacks the nous needed to win the competition. The side will look to Gallas to guide them through the tournament, although, as anybody who has listened to pundits talk about Arsenal come the end of this season will know, everyone notions that if the Gunners are to progress a new centre-back is required, and they are not talking about Thomas Vermaelen.
Nobody really knows which French side is going to turn up to South Africa. Like the rugby team we see so often in the Six Nations, the nation is very temperamental. There is the possibility that they will crash out in the group stages, however, you should not discount them just yet they may face England in the dreaded quarter-finals.
Sunday 16 May 2010
England
Could this really be their year? The same hype, the same expectation, the same endless talk about how this is England’s best chance in years, with the weather, the players, even the lack of WAGS all playing a fundamental role. Effectively, the country is heading to the World Cup as they do every time, surrounded by a media frenzy that places an insurmountable amount of pressure on the few players England rely on to lead them to glory. A quarter-final exit may well be on the cards once more.
Fabio Capello is the man at the helm. The Italian has conquered European club football, having won the Champions League, Serie A and La Liga. His aloofness from both English football and the English players is exactly the figurehead needed to instate some stability into a side who had too many creature comforts under Steve McClaren. Form, not prestige was going to be the major factor in who makes the cut, yet with the reintroduction of Jamie Carragher to a provisional 30 man squad, a kink in Capello’s supposedly impenetrable armour appears to have been uncovered.
One cannot complain too much though, as the Italian eased England through the qualifying group, winning 9 out of 10 games, with the one loss against the Ukraine commencing after the flight to South Africa had been booked. The English side also topped the European table for goals scored in qualifying (34), something you may find hard to believe when you consider that Emile Heskey is usually the only out-and-out striker.
This proves that England have goals in their side, clearly something needed if they intend to lift the cup. Heskey may not be the scorer but he is one of the main perpetrators. Other countries may have wide or central midfielder players who do not necessarily score much, yet are looked upon to create opportunities for their strikers to finish off, therefore warranting their place in the team– Xavi and Pirlo for Spain and Italy for instance. Due to England’s midfield scoring so highly during qualifying, Lampard (4), Gerrard (3), Walcott (3), Joe Cole (2), Wright-Phillips (1) and Barry (1), they can afford to have Heskey not scoring, and merely creating opportunities for those around him.
Of course, the main reliance for goals will land on in-form striker Wayne Rooney. The frontman scored 9 goals for England in 10 games and has netted his highest ever season total for Manchester United. Rooney brings an all-round game that makes him undoubtedly one of the best forwards in the world. Strength, awareness, creativity, fight and finishing ability are all attributes he possesses in abundance, something no defence would like to face. His fitness may be his only concern.
The midfield has two established names, with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard two of the world’s best players. Under Capello they have even learnt to play together, with Gerrard moving out to a wider left position. Both of these players would stroll into any team and their combined experience and scoring records will be looked upon come summer to guide England through the tournament.
Gareth Barry is fighting to be fit so as to take to the field in his usual defensive role. Otherwise a vacancy is left, potentially to be filled by James Milner. The Leeds United academy player is the most capped Under 21 England player ever, providing him with the international experience some feel he may lack. His form in the Premiership has also been exceptional, something that should aid him well if Barry remains injured.
Milner may be joined by another Leeds United academy player, as Aaron Lennon may take the right-wing position. At 5ft5 he may be the shortest player in South Africa, yet what he lacks in height, he makes up in speed. The winger thrives on running at opponents and with an increased ability at crossing, is surely going to be a starter.
The defence is where the anxiety begins though. Previously thought of as the best defensive partnership in international football has succumbed to injury and poor form. Terry and Ferdinand have both had their problems, on and off the pitch, yet their experience and quality is unquestionable. Stability is what is needed and I believe when the time comes and the pressure is truly on, both will provide.
The full-back positions are occupied by Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson. Cole and Johnson provide attacking options that are required in the modern game to stretch opponents to the full, however, only Cole has the defensive capabilities to make him the world’s best left-back. Questions remain over Johnson as a defender yet who would you replace him with? And anyway, everyone knows the best form of defence is attack.
England’s main worry is the keeper. Calamity James, could beat off an average Rob Green, whereas Joe Hart is just too young probably. Each bring their worries, which will always be in the back of the mind of an already potentially susceptible defence, although, all three are capable of performing solidly for their country.
When looking at the side objectively, it is true that England do have a great wealth of talented players. Wayne Rooney is one of the best strikers in South Africa, Lampard and Gerrard two of the best midfielders. Nobody performs better than Ashley Cole at left back, whereas Terry and Ferdinand could remain the best defensive partnership. The right-wing may not be possessed by a world renowned name, yet the likes of Lennon, Walcott and Johnson all are young enough to become such a star.
The hype is once again there, the players are arguably there also, the WAGS won’t be there and no doubt England’s fans will be there in vast numbers. However, eventually most shall return to England, when and with what will be the optimum factor in deciding whether or not this has been a tournament to remember for England.
Fabio Capello is the man at the helm. The Italian has conquered European club football, having won the Champions League, Serie A and La Liga. His aloofness from both English football and the English players is exactly the figurehead needed to instate some stability into a side who had too many creature comforts under Steve McClaren. Form, not prestige was going to be the major factor in who makes the cut, yet with the reintroduction of Jamie Carragher to a provisional 30 man squad, a kink in Capello’s supposedly impenetrable armour appears to have been uncovered.
One cannot complain too much though, as the Italian eased England through the qualifying group, winning 9 out of 10 games, with the one loss against the Ukraine commencing after the flight to South Africa had been booked. The English side also topped the European table for goals scored in qualifying (34), something you may find hard to believe when you consider that Emile Heskey is usually the only out-and-out striker.
This proves that England have goals in their side, clearly something needed if they intend to lift the cup. Heskey may not be the scorer but he is one of the main perpetrators. Other countries may have wide or central midfielder players who do not necessarily score much, yet are looked upon to create opportunities for their strikers to finish off, therefore warranting their place in the team– Xavi and Pirlo for Spain and Italy for instance. Due to England’s midfield scoring so highly during qualifying, Lampard (4), Gerrard (3), Walcott (3), Joe Cole (2), Wright-Phillips (1) and Barry (1), they can afford to have Heskey not scoring, and merely creating opportunities for those around him.
Of course, the main reliance for goals will land on in-form striker Wayne Rooney. The frontman scored 9 goals for England in 10 games and has netted his highest ever season total for Manchester United. Rooney brings an all-round game that makes him undoubtedly one of the best forwards in the world. Strength, awareness, creativity, fight and finishing ability are all attributes he possesses in abundance, something no defence would like to face. His fitness may be his only concern.
The midfield has two established names, with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard two of the world’s best players. Under Capello they have even learnt to play together, with Gerrard moving out to a wider left position. Both of these players would stroll into any team and their combined experience and scoring records will be looked upon come summer to guide England through the tournament.
Gareth Barry is fighting to be fit so as to take to the field in his usual defensive role. Otherwise a vacancy is left, potentially to be filled by James Milner. The Leeds United academy player is the most capped Under 21 England player ever, providing him with the international experience some feel he may lack. His form in the Premiership has also been exceptional, something that should aid him well if Barry remains injured.
Milner may be joined by another Leeds United academy player, as Aaron Lennon may take the right-wing position. At 5ft5 he may be the shortest player in South Africa, yet what he lacks in height, he makes up in speed. The winger thrives on running at opponents and with an increased ability at crossing, is surely going to be a starter.
The defence is where the anxiety begins though. Previously thought of as the best defensive partnership in international football has succumbed to injury and poor form. Terry and Ferdinand have both had their problems, on and off the pitch, yet their experience and quality is unquestionable. Stability is what is needed and I believe when the time comes and the pressure is truly on, both will provide.
The full-back positions are occupied by Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson. Cole and Johnson provide attacking options that are required in the modern game to stretch opponents to the full, however, only Cole has the defensive capabilities to make him the world’s best left-back. Questions remain over Johnson as a defender yet who would you replace him with? And anyway, everyone knows the best form of defence is attack.
England’s main worry is the keeper. Calamity James, could beat off an average Rob Green, whereas Joe Hart is just too young probably. Each bring their worries, which will always be in the back of the mind of an already potentially susceptible defence, although, all three are capable of performing solidly for their country.
When looking at the side objectively, it is true that England do have a great wealth of talented players. Wayne Rooney is one of the best strikers in South Africa, Lampard and Gerrard two of the best midfielders. Nobody performs better than Ashley Cole at left back, whereas Terry and Ferdinand could remain the best defensive partnership. The right-wing may not be possessed by a world renowned name, yet the likes of Lennon, Walcott and Johnson all are young enough to become such a star.
The hype is once again there, the players are arguably there also, the WAGS won’t be there and no doubt England’s fans will be there in vast numbers. However, eventually most shall return to England, when and with what will be the optimum factor in deciding whether or not this has been a tournament to remember for England.
Friday 14 May 2010
Denmark
Bacon, Carlsberg and Peter Schmeichel – three of Denmark’s greatest exports. Although, it was Michael Laudrup who was voted Denmark’s best ever player back in 2006 and who would deny him that award? The nation of 5.5million also gave us Peter Gade, who topped the world rankings in badminton from 1998-2001, proof if ever there was needed that a country a similar size as Scotland can produce sporting talent worthy of not only gracing, but beating, world opposition.
However, back to football. Denmark qualified for South Africa after coming through arguably the toughest European qualification group. The Danes managed to see off their bitter Scandinavian rivals Sweden, whilst also knocking Portugal off their perch. In the second of the ten qualification games, Denmark travelled to Lisbon to take on a nation who had not lost a World Cup qualifier since 1996.
The Portuguese went one-nill up thanks to Manchester United’s Nani goal before halftime. But Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner pulled Denmark level on the 84th minute. 2 minutes later though and Chelsea were in on the act, Deco putting away the penalty. Yet, two goals on the 90minute mark from Christian Poulsen and Daniel Jensen sent the away fans into delirium, from which the Danes never looked back.
Group E now awaits the nation whose aim will be to achieve what they have done on the three previous occasions they have made it to the World Cup, that is to progress from the group stages. This is something which, in my eyes, they should do again.
The Dutch should win the group but Japan, although being one of the better nations from Asia, are more than a little lightweight. As oppose to Cameroon, who should be extremely tough to break down. If Agger and much marked central defender Kjaer continue their impressive partnership though, they will at least stand a chance of preventing Samuel Eto’o any opportunity to put Cameroon ahead in the game.
This appears like a very defensive tactic, but despite Martin Olsen playing a favoured 4-3-3 formation, the Danes conceded the second least amount of goals in qualifying, behind their group E rivals Holland. This may have something to do with the ever present Thomas Sorensen in goal, something which unfortunately may not be the case come June, as the keeper suffered a dislocated elbow in Stoke’s 7-0 drumming by Chelsea in April.
Nicklas Bendtner will lead the attack and after a solid end to the season he will have the confidence to put away any chances that the speed of Dennis Rommedahl and Jesper Gronjkaer provide. Although, the speed is dwindling.
National hero Jon Dahl Tommasson may also take one of the wide forward slots. 51 goals in 107 caps for his country is an outstanding achievement, and the ex-AC Milan striker is sitting one goal behind Paul Nielsen, the country’s leading goalscorer. It must be said though, the aging striker has been sat there for more than two years.
The Danes clearly have a lot of consistent players, no real superstars, but all solid and reliable. This has evidentially served Martin Olsen’s side well, however to progress past the second round a match-winner is needed. Cue Christian Eriksen. The Ajax 18year old has only earned one cap for his country but with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United wanting his signature, the midfielder can surely play. Likened to Laudrup, van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder he has a lot to live up to, but is certainly one to watch out for, if he gets given his opportunity.
Olsen has added young blood to a side that needed some revitalisation. How far they will go in the tournament is anyone’s guess. Yet, a 3-0 2nd round exit, like that which they received from England in 2002, may well be on the cards. However, there is always the chance that they will spring a surprise on us, as they did when they won Euro 92. Surely this couldn’t happen again though? Let’s wait and see.
However, back to football. Denmark qualified for South Africa after coming through arguably the toughest European qualification group. The Danes managed to see off their bitter Scandinavian rivals Sweden, whilst also knocking Portugal off their perch. In the second of the ten qualification games, Denmark travelled to Lisbon to take on a nation who had not lost a World Cup qualifier since 1996.
The Portuguese went one-nill up thanks to Manchester United’s Nani goal before halftime. But Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner pulled Denmark level on the 84th minute. 2 minutes later though and Chelsea were in on the act, Deco putting away the penalty. Yet, two goals on the 90minute mark from Christian Poulsen and Daniel Jensen sent the away fans into delirium, from which the Danes never looked back.
Group E now awaits the nation whose aim will be to achieve what they have done on the three previous occasions they have made it to the World Cup, that is to progress from the group stages. This is something which, in my eyes, they should do again.
The Dutch should win the group but Japan, although being one of the better nations from Asia, are more than a little lightweight. As oppose to Cameroon, who should be extremely tough to break down. If Agger and much marked central defender Kjaer continue their impressive partnership though, they will at least stand a chance of preventing Samuel Eto’o any opportunity to put Cameroon ahead in the game.
This appears like a very defensive tactic, but despite Martin Olsen playing a favoured 4-3-3 formation, the Danes conceded the second least amount of goals in qualifying, behind their group E rivals Holland. This may have something to do with the ever present Thomas Sorensen in goal, something which unfortunately may not be the case come June, as the keeper suffered a dislocated elbow in Stoke’s 7-0 drumming by Chelsea in April.
Nicklas Bendtner will lead the attack and after a solid end to the season he will have the confidence to put away any chances that the speed of Dennis Rommedahl and Jesper Gronjkaer provide. Although, the speed is dwindling.
National hero Jon Dahl Tommasson may also take one of the wide forward slots. 51 goals in 107 caps for his country is an outstanding achievement, and the ex-AC Milan striker is sitting one goal behind Paul Nielsen, the country’s leading goalscorer. It must be said though, the aging striker has been sat there for more than two years.
The Danes clearly have a lot of consistent players, no real superstars, but all solid and reliable. This has evidentially served Martin Olsen’s side well, however to progress past the second round a match-winner is needed. Cue Christian Eriksen. The Ajax 18year old has only earned one cap for his country but with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United wanting his signature, the midfielder can surely play. Likened to Laudrup, van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder he has a lot to live up to, but is certainly one to watch out for, if he gets given his opportunity.
Olsen has added young blood to a side that needed some revitalisation. How far they will go in the tournament is anyone’s guess. Yet, a 3-0 2nd round exit, like that which they received from England in 2002, may well be on the cards. However, there is always the chance that they will spring a surprise on us, as they did when they won Euro 92. Surely this couldn’t happen again though? Let’s wait and see.
Thursday 13 May 2010
Chile
Chile - an unknown quantity. Well, half accurate. The quantity will be 23, as that is the maximum amount of players a country can bring to the World Cup. As for being unknown, it is true that with only Gonzalo Jara playing in the UK (for West Brom), it is hard to evaluate the South American’s chances. However, if the stats from their qualifying campaign are anything to go by, this team is going to be as exciting as their misspelt peppers are spicy.
The Chileans qualified second behind Brazil in the South American qualifying, having scored 32 goals in 18 games, once more, finishing one behind the leaders Brazil. However, La Roja’s conceded 22 goals on their way to the finals, evidentially showing a weakness in defence.
Chile is led by Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa, who, as the above suggests, focuses very much on free-flowing, attacking football. These adjectives are easily overused but with a preferred formation of 3-3-1-3, Chile really do deserve such accolades.
Bielsa’s first move when he became the manager of Chile was to drop Marcelo Salas, the country’s highest ever goal scorer, in favour of younger talents, many of whom helped Chile to finish 3rd in the Under-20 World Cup in 2007. This was a brave move, but one which is paying dividends. With the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Udinese’s 21year old, being one of the youngsters to watch out for. Sanchez plays on the right of the front three and was snapped up by the Italian Serie A side at the tender age of 17, where he has become a crowd favourite due to his trickery.
Spearheading the attack however, is Humberto Suazo. The Real Zaragoza striker scored 10 of Chile’s 32 goals in qualifying and was the top scorer in the South American qualifiers.
If the opposition want to prevent Sanchez and Suazo from giving Chile a chance of winning matches, then it is playmaker Matias Fernandez that they need to stop. Fernandez plays the pivotal “1” role, in the formation otherwise occupied by the number “3”. He was, unsurprisingly, born in Argentina, however, his dad is Chilean and he moved back to his father’s homeland aged just 4, and so has legitimate reason to call himself Chilean. Despite struggling at Villarreal, most of Chile’s play will be directed by him.
Chile find themselves in Group H, along with Switzerland, Honduras and, tournament favourites, Spain. Honduras should just be proud to be at South Africa, and realistically, will not be making it past the group stages. Which means the second place spot should be between Chile and Switzerland. Anybody who remembers watching Switzerland in the last two previous tournaments will surely hope for their own sanity, that Chile’s attacking flair overcomes one of the dullest teams in the tournament.
If Chile do win their first two games in the World Cup, this should set up a Latino party with Spain on the 25th of June. Spain, if they have any real aspirations to win this tournament, should certainly have qualified by this game, hopefully creating uninhibited, box-to-box football which the world waits to witness from two of the most attacking teams in South Africa.
If Chile make it through the group though, they face a second round match against the winners of Group G. Unfortunately, Group G includes Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast. Whoever wins that group will have started the tournament in a more than spritely fashion, so even if Chile have shown us the gripping football we anticipate, their lack of quality defence may prove all too easy to breach against such accomplished opposition.
Chile may be an unknown quantity before the World Cup begins on the 11th June, yet come the end of the second round, some of their players may well be on the tip of the tongue of schoolchildren across the country, as they all imitate their new found idols in the playground.
The Chileans qualified second behind Brazil in the South American qualifying, having scored 32 goals in 18 games, once more, finishing one behind the leaders Brazil. However, La Roja’s conceded 22 goals on their way to the finals, evidentially showing a weakness in defence.
Chile is led by Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa, who, as the above suggests, focuses very much on free-flowing, attacking football. These adjectives are easily overused but with a preferred formation of 3-3-1-3, Chile really do deserve such accolades.
Bielsa’s first move when he became the manager of Chile was to drop Marcelo Salas, the country’s highest ever goal scorer, in favour of younger talents, many of whom helped Chile to finish 3rd in the Under-20 World Cup in 2007. This was a brave move, but one which is paying dividends. With the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Udinese’s 21year old, being one of the youngsters to watch out for. Sanchez plays on the right of the front three and was snapped up by the Italian Serie A side at the tender age of 17, where he has become a crowd favourite due to his trickery.
Spearheading the attack however, is Humberto Suazo. The Real Zaragoza striker scored 10 of Chile’s 32 goals in qualifying and was the top scorer in the South American qualifiers.
If the opposition want to prevent Sanchez and Suazo from giving Chile a chance of winning matches, then it is playmaker Matias Fernandez that they need to stop. Fernandez plays the pivotal “1” role, in the formation otherwise occupied by the number “3”. He was, unsurprisingly, born in Argentina, however, his dad is Chilean and he moved back to his father’s homeland aged just 4, and so has legitimate reason to call himself Chilean. Despite struggling at Villarreal, most of Chile’s play will be directed by him.
Chile find themselves in Group H, along with Switzerland, Honduras and, tournament favourites, Spain. Honduras should just be proud to be at South Africa, and realistically, will not be making it past the group stages. Which means the second place spot should be between Chile and Switzerland. Anybody who remembers watching Switzerland in the last two previous tournaments will surely hope for their own sanity, that Chile’s attacking flair overcomes one of the dullest teams in the tournament.
If Chile do win their first two games in the World Cup, this should set up a Latino party with Spain on the 25th of June. Spain, if they have any real aspirations to win this tournament, should certainly have qualified by this game, hopefully creating uninhibited, box-to-box football which the world waits to witness from two of the most attacking teams in South Africa.
If Chile make it through the group though, they face a second round match against the winners of Group G. Unfortunately, Group G includes Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast. Whoever wins that group will have started the tournament in a more than spritely fashion, so even if Chile have shown us the gripping football we anticipate, their lack of quality defence may prove all too easy to breach against such accomplished opposition.
Chile may be an unknown quantity before the World Cup begins on the 11th June, yet come the end of the second round, some of their players may well be on the tip of the tongue of schoolchildren across the country, as they all imitate their new found idols in the playground.
Wednesday 12 May 2010
Cameroon
As an extremely excited 14 year old boy, I remember waking up early in the morning, somewhere around 7, to watch Ireland’s first game in the 2002 World Cup against the African nation in the group – Cameroon. The Mick McCarthy/Roy Keane fiasco had preceded the match, yet with many star names in the Irish team, the anticipation was high.
39minutes in and a mazy run by Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o, having been found by Geremi, enabled Mboma to bundle the ball home to go 1-0 up. Matt Holland later replied for the leprechaun nation before the Irish went on to progress through Group E, which contained a lacklustre Saudi Arabia and eventual finalists Germany. Cameroon, went home.
That was the last time we witnessed The Indomitable Lions on the world stage. Although, not only do some familiar names remain in the squad, but they are Africa’s most successful nation, having qualified for this tournament on 5 occasions, even reaching the quarter-finals in Italia 90 where, in a pulsating game, they lost to an extra-time Gary Lineker penalty.
In the first World Cup to be held on African soil many feel the onus has been placed on Cameroon to represent the continent into the beginning of July. This is not surprising when the hosts – South Africa – are ranked a miserly 85th in the world, whereas the Ivory Coast and Ghana have been drawn in extremely difficult groups that either will do well to progress from and with Algeria being, well, just rubbish. Nigeria may offer Africa another glimpse of opportunity though.
Technically though, Cameroon is officially ranked in the hardest group in the tournament. The Netherlands (3), Japan (40), Denmark (27) and themselves (14) forming an accumulative total of 84 in the FIFA rankings, as oppose to Group F – Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia – who hit the dizzy heights of 141. FIFA rankings should always be taken with a more than a pinch of salt however. The Netherlands, as one of the tournaments favourites, should comfortably top the group, leaving the remaining three to fight it out.
Cameroon advanced through qualifying after a momentary blip, but after hiring ex-Rangers manager Paul Le Guen, the nation that introduced the world to the sleeveless “basketball esque” football shirt, were never in doubt of a place at the finals. Le Guen took the captaincy off an aging, but legendary, Rigobert Song and presented it to the man everyone in Cameroon looks up to, Inter Milan striker, Samuel Eto’o.
No one nation will be placing so much hope and expectation on one player. Eto’o really is the real deal though, 42 goals in 91 caps gives the hot-headed striker almost a 1:2 ratio, which in international football is phenomenal. To progress as far as Africans and neutrals desire, Eto’o needs to edge that little bit closer to 50international goals.
Despite the prominence of the Inter Milan striker, the West Africans do have some other recognisable names. Spurs will be represented at the back with Assou-Ekotto and Bassong continuing their partnership on the left-side of defence. Spurs local rivals Arsenal will also have some interest in the side, as Rigobert Song’s nephew, Alex, should command the midfield. Lyon’s Jean Makoun will play alongside Song in the centre, another man who specialises in breaking-up opposition play.
Cameroon face Japan first on the 14th June and Denmark on the 19th and if The Indomitable Lions have not already qualified after then, trouble awaits them in a tough remaining fixture against the Dutch. For the nation that leads the African fight on African soil, this last group game needs to be a non-entity.
39minutes in and a mazy run by Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o, having been found by Geremi, enabled Mboma to bundle the ball home to go 1-0 up. Matt Holland later replied for the leprechaun nation before the Irish went on to progress through Group E, which contained a lacklustre Saudi Arabia and eventual finalists Germany. Cameroon, went home.
That was the last time we witnessed The Indomitable Lions on the world stage. Although, not only do some familiar names remain in the squad, but they are Africa’s most successful nation, having qualified for this tournament on 5 occasions, even reaching the quarter-finals in Italia 90 where, in a pulsating game, they lost to an extra-time Gary Lineker penalty.
In the first World Cup to be held on African soil many feel the onus has been placed on Cameroon to represent the continent into the beginning of July. This is not surprising when the hosts – South Africa – are ranked a miserly 85th in the world, whereas the Ivory Coast and Ghana have been drawn in extremely difficult groups that either will do well to progress from and with Algeria being, well, just rubbish. Nigeria may offer Africa another glimpse of opportunity though.
Technically though, Cameroon is officially ranked in the hardest group in the tournament. The Netherlands (3), Japan (40), Denmark (27) and themselves (14) forming an accumulative total of 84 in the FIFA rankings, as oppose to Group F – Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia – who hit the dizzy heights of 141. FIFA rankings should always be taken with a more than a pinch of salt however. The Netherlands, as one of the tournaments favourites, should comfortably top the group, leaving the remaining three to fight it out.
Cameroon advanced through qualifying after a momentary blip, but after hiring ex-Rangers manager Paul Le Guen, the nation that introduced the world to the sleeveless “basketball esque” football shirt, were never in doubt of a place at the finals. Le Guen took the captaincy off an aging, but legendary, Rigobert Song and presented it to the man everyone in Cameroon looks up to, Inter Milan striker, Samuel Eto’o.
No one nation will be placing so much hope and expectation on one player. Eto’o really is the real deal though, 42 goals in 91 caps gives the hot-headed striker almost a 1:2 ratio, which in international football is phenomenal. To progress as far as Africans and neutrals desire, Eto’o needs to edge that little bit closer to 50international goals.
Despite the prominence of the Inter Milan striker, the West Africans do have some other recognisable names. Spurs will be represented at the back with Assou-Ekotto and Bassong continuing their partnership on the left-side of defence. Spurs local rivals Arsenal will also have some interest in the side, as Rigobert Song’s nephew, Alex, should command the midfield. Lyon’s Jean Makoun will play alongside Song in the centre, another man who specialises in breaking-up opposition play.
Cameroon face Japan first on the 14th June and Denmark on the 19th and if The Indomitable Lions have not already qualified after then, trouble awaits them in a tough remaining fixture against the Dutch. For the nation that leads the African fight on African soil, this last group game needs to be a non-entity.
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Capello Names 30man Provisional Squad
In the midst of a Zola sacking from West Ham, a McClaren move to Wolfsburg and Roy Hodgsen being voted manager of the year, Fabio Capello has named a provisional 30man squad for South Africa. Only 23 will get the nod, so who will get a ticket?
The 30 players are as follows:
Goalkeepers – Green, Hart , James
Defenders – Baines, Carragher, A. Cole, Dawson, Ferdinand, G. Johnson, King, Terry, Upson, Warnock
Midfielders – Barry, Carrick, J. Cole, Gerrard, Huddlestone, A. Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Parker, Walcott, Wright-Phillips
Strikers – Bent, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Rooney
Fundamentally, all 3 keepers will go and 5 strikers are needed, taking up 8 places and meaning that the likes of Bent can rest easy. Paul Robinson is the only notable absentee, and may be slightly disgruntled at being left behind for Rob Green. However, both are unreliable, and so although one may go and not the other, James and Hart should both be preferred, meaning that it is only pride that should be effected, as opposed to England’s hopes. As if we need the third choice keeper to be called upon, the situation will already be dire.
5 strikers are a must, as they are ultimately the ones that Fabio, and all of England, will look to for goals. Heskey, although he fails to score, is clearly going to start alongside Rooney. Crouch provides an excellent alternative to the Aston Villa striker, posing both an aerial threat, whilst also having great technical ability on the ball, allowing him to provide the finishing touch of a goal to his play. Bent and Defoe however, will both provide competent performances, with their goals in the Premiership justifying a place on the plane.
With 8 places gone, this mathematically leaves 15 places left. Midfielders are surely in greater need than defenders, therefore, linguistics provide that 8 midfielders will go and 7 defenders. On this basis, 3 defenders out of the 10 need not be invited, whilst 4 midfielders will be left watching the television with the rest of us commoners.
7 defenders are to be taken, with Terry, Ferdinand, A. Cole and G. Johnson certainties. This means that 3 out of the remaining 6 need to be chosen. Baines is the only out-and-out cover for left-back, therefore, on this basis he should get a slot. Upson, King, Dawson, Warnock and Carragher fight it out for the final 2 defensive positions. King and Dawson are the obvious choice, based on performance this season. However, this my leave the right-back area unprotected, with only G. Johnson able to play there. On this basis Carragher, who has returned from international retirement after having his worst season in a long while for Liverpool, may unbelievable be chosen ahead of one of the Spurs back two. King is better than Dawson, and should not be required to play many games in a row, therefore King and, to my disbelief and slight concern, Carragher may get the final slot. As for Upson and Warnock, both simply are not up to the required standard.
The midfield poses similar problems. Gerrard and Lampard are the only two certainties. However, it is safe to deduce that James Milner has earned the right to a ticket. Lennon and Barry, despite having late injury problems, both deserve a summer holiday in South Africa also. This of course, means that there are 8 men left, with only 3 tickets.
Joe Cole, despite having a season full of injury, has international experience, versatility and was undoubtedly one of England’s best players in the last World Cup. All three of these reasons provide adequate justification in my eyes, to say that Capello should back the 28 year old. Adam Johnson has sparkled in the latter part of the season for Manchester City, easily outperforming Walcott and Wright-Phillips, so despite his international inexperience, I would at least take him to Africa.
The last place therefore is between Parker, Huddlestone, Carrick, Walcott and Wright-Phillips. Effectively, it is match winners that need to go to South Africa, impact players that can be brought off the bench to turn a match, and out of those 5 Walcott is the clear winner. On this basis, the Arsenal man should take the final spot on the plane.
So, in my view the 23 man squad should look like this:
Goalkeepers – Green, Hart , James
Defenders – Baines, Carragher, A. Cole, Ferdinand, G. Johnson, King, Terry
Midfielders – Barry, J. Cole, Gerrard, A. Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Walcott
Strikers – Bent, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Rooney
The unfortunate few to get so close yet miss out:
Carrick, Dawson, Huddlestone, Parker, Wright-Phillips, Upson and Warnock.
Whether Fabio agrees with me, only time will tell.
The 30 players are as follows:
Goalkeepers – Green, Hart , James
Defenders – Baines, Carragher, A. Cole, Dawson, Ferdinand, G. Johnson, King, Terry, Upson, Warnock
Midfielders – Barry, Carrick, J. Cole, Gerrard, Huddlestone, A. Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Parker, Walcott, Wright-Phillips
Strikers – Bent, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Rooney
Fundamentally, all 3 keepers will go and 5 strikers are needed, taking up 8 places and meaning that the likes of Bent can rest easy. Paul Robinson is the only notable absentee, and may be slightly disgruntled at being left behind for Rob Green. However, both are unreliable, and so although one may go and not the other, James and Hart should both be preferred, meaning that it is only pride that should be effected, as opposed to England’s hopes. As if we need the third choice keeper to be called upon, the situation will already be dire.
5 strikers are a must, as they are ultimately the ones that Fabio, and all of England, will look to for goals. Heskey, although he fails to score, is clearly going to start alongside Rooney. Crouch provides an excellent alternative to the Aston Villa striker, posing both an aerial threat, whilst also having great technical ability on the ball, allowing him to provide the finishing touch of a goal to his play. Bent and Defoe however, will both provide competent performances, with their goals in the Premiership justifying a place on the plane.
With 8 places gone, this mathematically leaves 15 places left. Midfielders are surely in greater need than defenders, therefore, linguistics provide that 8 midfielders will go and 7 defenders. On this basis, 3 defenders out of the 10 need not be invited, whilst 4 midfielders will be left watching the television with the rest of us commoners.
7 defenders are to be taken, with Terry, Ferdinand, A. Cole and G. Johnson certainties. This means that 3 out of the remaining 6 need to be chosen. Baines is the only out-and-out cover for left-back, therefore, on this basis he should get a slot. Upson, King, Dawson, Warnock and Carragher fight it out for the final 2 defensive positions. King and Dawson are the obvious choice, based on performance this season. However, this my leave the right-back area unprotected, with only G. Johnson able to play there. On this basis Carragher, who has returned from international retirement after having his worst season in a long while for Liverpool, may unbelievable be chosen ahead of one of the Spurs back two. King is better than Dawson, and should not be required to play many games in a row, therefore King and, to my disbelief and slight concern, Carragher may get the final slot. As for Upson and Warnock, both simply are not up to the required standard.
The midfield poses similar problems. Gerrard and Lampard are the only two certainties. However, it is safe to deduce that James Milner has earned the right to a ticket. Lennon and Barry, despite having late injury problems, both deserve a summer holiday in South Africa also. This of course, means that there are 8 men left, with only 3 tickets.
Joe Cole, despite having a season full of injury, has international experience, versatility and was undoubtedly one of England’s best players in the last World Cup. All three of these reasons provide adequate justification in my eyes, to say that Capello should back the 28 year old. Adam Johnson has sparkled in the latter part of the season for Manchester City, easily outperforming Walcott and Wright-Phillips, so despite his international inexperience, I would at least take him to Africa.
The last place therefore is between Parker, Huddlestone, Carrick, Walcott and Wright-Phillips. Effectively, it is match winners that need to go to South Africa, impact players that can be brought off the bench to turn a match, and out of those 5 Walcott is the clear winner. On this basis, the Arsenal man should take the final spot on the plane.
So, in my view the 23 man squad should look like this:
Goalkeepers – Green, Hart , James
Defenders – Baines, Carragher, A. Cole, Ferdinand, G. Johnson, King, Terry
Midfielders – Barry, J. Cole, Gerrard, A. Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Walcott
Strikers – Bent, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Rooney
The unfortunate few to get so close yet miss out:
Carrick, Dawson, Huddlestone, Parker, Wright-Phillips, Upson and Warnock.
Whether Fabio agrees with me, only time will tell.
Monday 10 May 2010
Brazil
The Samba Kings, an omnipresent force in World football, having being the only team to qualify for every World Cup. Their quest – World Cup glory for the 6th time, enabling them to consolidate their world dominance status by winning the tournament in the only continent they have not yet conquered – Africa. Their chances – undeniably strong. Their failures – not being English.
Brazil are undoubtedly the team that everyone wants to watch. The country’s multicultural openness is reflected in the uniqueness and creativeness that their football players have blessed us with over the years. However, this summer in South Africa, despite possessing the flair players we all anticipate, presents a very different Brazil from the team we are use to.
Dunga led his nation to World Cup glory in 1994 and to the final in France 98, with a tongue-tied Ronaldo among the famous players, and was the surprise appointment to the Brazil manager after the country crashed out in the quarter-finals to France in 2006. The sceptics saw this as an interim move, yet he has stuck out the course, reaching South Africa after topping the challenging South American qualifying group.
To achieve this feat however, Dunga has resorted to stability rather than creativity, much to the annoyance of the media in Brazil. This attitude is indicative of the manager’s own playing style. Dunga has usually opted for two holding midfielders – Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo – providing a more defensive outlook.
The pair sit in front of two very experienced centre-backs Juan and Lucio, who both not only played together for Bayer Leverkusen, but also made Bayer’s official “Squad of the Century” which was a mash-up of players who had played for the German side throughout the years. Behind them, Julio Cesar – res ipsa loquitur.
Brazil are not renowned usually for their keepers but in Cesar they have made up for years of unreliability. Anybody who has seen Inter Milan in the Champions League will know that he is good, come summer, you may realise just quite how good. Great at shot-stopping, organisationally secure and more than able to cope with any high balls, Brazil are in safe hands
These 5 players form the backbone of the team, around them the Brazil we know and love is encapsulated. Cesar’s and Lucio’s Inter teammate Maicon will play at right-back, keeping Barcelona’s Dani Alves on the bench! That really is the definition of strength in depth. Alves is usually the first substitute brought on by Dunga, an unusual accolade for a wing-back, however the player’s influence is so great he may get thrown in at left-back, even though he admits himself he cannot play there.
In front of the midfield defensive line will sit three attacking maestros – Elano, Kaka and Robinho. The onus will no doubt be on these men to provide the creative impetus to unlocking the opponents defence. If they fail, Villarreal’s Nilmar (who has 8 goals in 11 caps) and potentially even Ronaldino will be there to take their place.
Up front is out-and-out striker Luis Fabiano. 25 goals in 36 caps says it all and his club record this season is just as prominent, 15 goals in 23 games. However, he tends to lack concentration, although if my teammates could move the ball as swiftly as his, I would also be too much in awe to remember why I was there. His boots have a fair chance of matching his country’s top come July 11th.
If Brazil are to make it to the final, they will need to play well from the start. The accumulative world ranking of the teams in Group G (147) is one of the highest but that is due to North Korea (ranked 91st in the World) being in the otherwise “Group of Death”. Portugal scrapped through European qualifying yet obviously should not be underestimated by their Latino counterparts. As for the final spot, the Ivory Coast fill that. And with the World Cup being in Africa for the first time, they will intend to prove that African nations are a dominant force, and who would bet against them showing this?
The Brazilians will no doubt bring the party to South Africa, they also provide very amiable crowd shots. Dunga has added a once exempt defensive approach to the nation’s free-flowing outlook, yet that mind-set still remains strong in many of the players. So does World Cup glory await them again? It seems like a distinct possibility.
Brazil are undoubtedly the team that everyone wants to watch. The country’s multicultural openness is reflected in the uniqueness and creativeness that their football players have blessed us with over the years. However, this summer in South Africa, despite possessing the flair players we all anticipate, presents a very different Brazil from the team we are use to.
Dunga led his nation to World Cup glory in 1994 and to the final in France 98, with a tongue-tied Ronaldo among the famous players, and was the surprise appointment to the Brazil manager after the country crashed out in the quarter-finals to France in 2006. The sceptics saw this as an interim move, yet he has stuck out the course, reaching South Africa after topping the challenging South American qualifying group.
To achieve this feat however, Dunga has resorted to stability rather than creativity, much to the annoyance of the media in Brazil. This attitude is indicative of the manager’s own playing style. Dunga has usually opted for two holding midfielders – Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo – providing a more defensive outlook.
The pair sit in front of two very experienced centre-backs Juan and Lucio, who both not only played together for Bayer Leverkusen, but also made Bayer’s official “Squad of the Century” which was a mash-up of players who had played for the German side throughout the years. Behind them, Julio Cesar – res ipsa loquitur.
Brazil are not renowned usually for their keepers but in Cesar they have made up for years of unreliability. Anybody who has seen Inter Milan in the Champions League will know that he is good, come summer, you may realise just quite how good. Great at shot-stopping, organisationally secure and more than able to cope with any high balls, Brazil are in safe hands
These 5 players form the backbone of the team, around them the Brazil we know and love is encapsulated. Cesar’s and Lucio’s Inter teammate Maicon will play at right-back, keeping Barcelona’s Dani Alves on the bench! That really is the definition of strength in depth. Alves is usually the first substitute brought on by Dunga, an unusual accolade for a wing-back, however the player’s influence is so great he may get thrown in at left-back, even though he admits himself he cannot play there.
In front of the midfield defensive line will sit three attacking maestros – Elano, Kaka and Robinho. The onus will no doubt be on these men to provide the creative impetus to unlocking the opponents defence. If they fail, Villarreal’s Nilmar (who has 8 goals in 11 caps) and potentially even Ronaldino will be there to take their place.
Up front is out-and-out striker Luis Fabiano. 25 goals in 36 caps says it all and his club record this season is just as prominent, 15 goals in 23 games. However, he tends to lack concentration, although if my teammates could move the ball as swiftly as his, I would also be too much in awe to remember why I was there. His boots have a fair chance of matching his country’s top come July 11th.
If Brazil are to make it to the final, they will need to play well from the start. The accumulative world ranking of the teams in Group G (147) is one of the highest but that is due to North Korea (ranked 91st in the World) being in the otherwise “Group of Death”. Portugal scrapped through European qualifying yet obviously should not be underestimated by their Latino counterparts. As for the final spot, the Ivory Coast fill that. And with the World Cup being in Africa for the first time, they will intend to prove that African nations are a dominant force, and who would bet against them showing this?
The Brazilians will no doubt bring the party to South Africa, they also provide very amiable crowd shots. Dunga has added a once exempt defensive approach to the nation’s free-flowing outlook, yet that mind-set still remains strong in many of the players. So does World Cup glory await them again? It seems like a distinct possibility.
Sunday 9 May 2010
Australia
The men from down under have once more sailed through the qualification stage after only conceding one goal in the entire process and became, not surprisingly, the first team to confirm their place in South Africa, providing them with plenty of time to navigate across the Indian ocean to where they set to start their World Cup campaign in Durban on the 13th of June against Germany.
This will no doubt be a tough opener for the country that may be overawed by the stark contrast of their World Cup group, with Serbia and Ghana also been drawn in Group D, compared to Japan, Qatar, Bahrain and Uzbekistan who they faced to qualify for the tournament, none of whom are renowned footballing nations. This point was exasperated in Australia’s 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, when they earned the largest ever recorded international victory by beating American Samoa 31-0.
Maybe this is doing them an injustice however, the Socceroos that is, as in 2006 they did show us that they really are a jack of all trades when it comes to sport. After having progressed from a group containing Japan, Croatia and Brazil, Australia met eventual winners Italy in the last 16. That last sentence should give you a clear indication as to which way the match went, however, the scoreline of 1-0 does not tell the true story. Italy went down to 10men after Materazzi saw red, and it took a 93rd minute penalty from Totti to avoid extra-time, the first time in World Cup history that a game had been decided by a last minute penalty in normal time.
The men in green and gold are led by Pim Verbeek, who does have World Cup experience having been the assistant to Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat, who led South Korea in the World Cups of 2002 and 2006, respectively. The Dutchman has openly criticised the A-League in Australia – their equivalent of the Premiership - and will move on after South Africa, but fortunately this does mean many of the more skilful Aussie players have found employment in Europe in a bid to improve their overall ability and chances of making the squad for 2010.
Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer will no doubt be in-between the posts having had an impressive season for Fulham, culminating in an UEFA Cup final appearance for the 37year old. Dynamic fullback Lucas Neill will lead his country out with Patrick Kisnorbo potentially gaining a defensive starting shirt, having beat off Beckford for the plaudit of Leeds United’s “Player of the Year”.
Leeds’ connection does not end there, as Harry Kewell will play a prominent role upfront, potentially being partnered by Middlesbrough’s Scott McDonald. Whereas, the midfield sees Blackburn provide Vince Grella and Brett Emerton, with Everton’s Tim Cahill also a guarantee for a start. An image of Cahill boxing a corner flag in South Africa is almost inevitable.
If Australia do progress from Group D, a last 16 tie against a Group C team awaits. This could mean a tasty tie against England, where obviously many of the Socceroos play their football. A high intensity, competitive match could be in order, but I believe England will just edge it, meaning the Australians will be an unfortunate casualty, after no doubt entertaining the World during the Group stages.
So, despite having a backbone of relatively good football players, Australia, I believe will suffer the same fate as they did in 2006. They will scrap through Group D in second place, and deservedly so, yet England will pose too much of a scalp. Let’s just hope for England that they in turn suffer the same fate as Australian’s victors in 2006.
This will no doubt be a tough opener for the country that may be overawed by the stark contrast of their World Cup group, with Serbia and Ghana also been drawn in Group D, compared to Japan, Qatar, Bahrain and Uzbekistan who they faced to qualify for the tournament, none of whom are renowned footballing nations. This point was exasperated in Australia’s 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, when they earned the largest ever recorded international victory by beating American Samoa 31-0.
Maybe this is doing them an injustice however, the Socceroos that is, as in 2006 they did show us that they really are a jack of all trades when it comes to sport. After having progressed from a group containing Japan, Croatia and Brazil, Australia met eventual winners Italy in the last 16. That last sentence should give you a clear indication as to which way the match went, however, the scoreline of 1-0 does not tell the true story. Italy went down to 10men after Materazzi saw red, and it took a 93rd minute penalty from Totti to avoid extra-time, the first time in World Cup history that a game had been decided by a last minute penalty in normal time.
The men in green and gold are led by Pim Verbeek, who does have World Cup experience having been the assistant to Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat, who led South Korea in the World Cups of 2002 and 2006, respectively. The Dutchman has openly criticised the A-League in Australia – their equivalent of the Premiership - and will move on after South Africa, but fortunately this does mean many of the more skilful Aussie players have found employment in Europe in a bid to improve their overall ability and chances of making the squad for 2010.
Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer will no doubt be in-between the posts having had an impressive season for Fulham, culminating in an UEFA Cup final appearance for the 37year old. Dynamic fullback Lucas Neill will lead his country out with Patrick Kisnorbo potentially gaining a defensive starting shirt, having beat off Beckford for the plaudit of Leeds United’s “Player of the Year”.
Leeds’ connection does not end there, as Harry Kewell will play a prominent role upfront, potentially being partnered by Middlesbrough’s Scott McDonald. Whereas, the midfield sees Blackburn provide Vince Grella and Brett Emerton, with Everton’s Tim Cahill also a guarantee for a start. An image of Cahill boxing a corner flag in South Africa is almost inevitable.
If Australia do progress from Group D, a last 16 tie against a Group C team awaits. This could mean a tasty tie against England, where obviously many of the Socceroos play their football. A high intensity, competitive match could be in order, but I believe England will just edge it, meaning the Australians will be an unfortunate casualty, after no doubt entertaining the World during the Group stages.
So, despite having a backbone of relatively good football players, Australia, I believe will suffer the same fate as they did in 2006. They will scrap through Group D in second place, and deservedly so, yet England will pose too much of a scalp. Let’s just hope for England that they in turn suffer the same fate as Australian’s victors in 2006.
Sometimes Webber Feels Like He's In Barcelona!
The Grand Prix circuit made it to Europe today, despite the continuing disruption caused by the ash cloud over Spain, France and Italy. All the sides made it, with Jenson Button leading the Drivers’ Championship on 60 points, followed by Nico Rosberg on 49. Yet, once again it was the Red Bull Racing team that took qualifying by storm, with Webber and Vettel heading the grid.
The Red Bulls fought off any real chance of anybody passing them on the dart to the first corner, both driving side by side, blocking off any advancing competitors. Come the end of the first lap there had been, surprisingly some may say, no change in the top 6 starting grid positions. Although, Spanish driver Alguersuari, in his home Grand Prix, did manage to weave his way through the field on his way to the first corner from 15th to 9th with some superb driver awareness.
Senna was less capable, compounding a bad weekend by driving off into the tire wall on lap 4. Still, at least he drove a little, Kovalainen’s Lotus failed to make it out of the pit lane.
The fuel was then burnt as the cars raced aimlessly round, attempting to open up gaps to make pit stops remotely interesting, something which the FIA tried to prevent by outlaw refuelling.
The pits proved to be a turning point, as Rosberg provided some excitement in the Mercedes by driving off before his front right wheel was completely on. Rosberg’s Mercedes partner Schumacher managed to pass Button during the pits. Before Hamilton then jumped into second place, thanks to the backmarker di Grassi and, of course, a quicker pit-stop then Vettel.
The next few laps witnessed a fierce battle between former World Champion Michael Schumacher and the current World Champion Jenson Button. McLaren versus Mercedes. German versus Britain. Both challenging for 5th. Not where either driver will have wanted to be. The pair meandered around the track enough to be caught by Massa to make it a three-way fight. But as all three caught up with traffic, Massa misjudged a backmarker and the Brazilian drove straight into the back of Chandhok causing slight damage to his front wing, ending his brief fight for 5th.
Schumacher was using all his knowledge on a track with virtually no passing possibilities to prevent Button from getting ahead of him. With the World Champion seemingly unable to bring the spark or nerve required to do anything about the situation.
As the race continued, it became evidentially clear that I could have spent a good 45minutes of the middle part of the race doing something a little more productive, walk the dog, cook my dinner, gnaw my own eyes out, for the latter would certainly at least prevent me, and would certainly be less painful, from watching the monotony of cars driving around a track going nowhere.
But then, drama on the 55th lap of the 66 lap race, as Sebastian Vettel in 2nd had reliability problems with the Red Bull requiring another pit stop to fix the front right wheel, leaving Lewis Hamilton and Spaniard Fernando Alonso to pass the German. Vettel’s car continued to not working properly giving Schumacher’s pack the chance to catch up. This failed to materialise though.
On the 65th lap though, one lap away from finishing in second place, with Lewis Hamilton pushing frantically in a vain attempt to catch leader Mark Webber in the hope the Australian has a similar problem to his teammate, agony occurred for the Brit. Hamilton got a front left puncture and went off into the tire wall, much to the delight of the Spanish crowd, as Alonso went into the 2nd podium position.
Pole sitter, Mark Webber, crossed the finish line in 1st, having held that position through-out the entire race, for his third ever grand prix victory. Alonso and a limping Vettel claimed second and third. They were followed by a slow Schumacher, a disappointing Button and Massa. Sutil, Kubica, Barrichello and Alguersuari, with the latter two having very good drives, took the remaining points.
So, for the 10th time in 10 years, the pole sitter at Barcelona won, proving Jenson Button’s comment at the start of the race to be profoundly true - ‘Hopefully we can get onto them [the Red Bulls] into Turn One and have a chance of overtaking, otherwise it might be difficult to challenge for a win’. I just wish I had the foresight to have listened.
The Red Bulls fought off any real chance of anybody passing them on the dart to the first corner, both driving side by side, blocking off any advancing competitors. Come the end of the first lap there had been, surprisingly some may say, no change in the top 6 starting grid positions. Although, Spanish driver Alguersuari, in his home Grand Prix, did manage to weave his way through the field on his way to the first corner from 15th to 9th with some superb driver awareness.
Senna was less capable, compounding a bad weekend by driving off into the tire wall on lap 4. Still, at least he drove a little, Kovalainen’s Lotus failed to make it out of the pit lane.
The fuel was then burnt as the cars raced aimlessly round, attempting to open up gaps to make pit stops remotely interesting, something which the FIA tried to prevent by outlaw refuelling.
The pits proved to be a turning point, as Rosberg provided some excitement in the Mercedes by driving off before his front right wheel was completely on. Rosberg’s Mercedes partner Schumacher managed to pass Button during the pits. Before Hamilton then jumped into second place, thanks to the backmarker di Grassi and, of course, a quicker pit-stop then Vettel.
The next few laps witnessed a fierce battle between former World Champion Michael Schumacher and the current World Champion Jenson Button. McLaren versus Mercedes. German versus Britain. Both challenging for 5th. Not where either driver will have wanted to be. The pair meandered around the track enough to be caught by Massa to make it a three-way fight. But as all three caught up with traffic, Massa misjudged a backmarker and the Brazilian drove straight into the back of Chandhok causing slight damage to his front wing, ending his brief fight for 5th.
Schumacher was using all his knowledge on a track with virtually no passing possibilities to prevent Button from getting ahead of him. With the World Champion seemingly unable to bring the spark or nerve required to do anything about the situation.
As the race continued, it became evidentially clear that I could have spent a good 45minutes of the middle part of the race doing something a little more productive, walk the dog, cook my dinner, gnaw my own eyes out, for the latter would certainly at least prevent me, and would certainly be less painful, from watching the monotony of cars driving around a track going nowhere.
But then, drama on the 55th lap of the 66 lap race, as Sebastian Vettel in 2nd had reliability problems with the Red Bull requiring another pit stop to fix the front right wheel, leaving Lewis Hamilton and Spaniard Fernando Alonso to pass the German. Vettel’s car continued to not working properly giving Schumacher’s pack the chance to catch up. This failed to materialise though.
On the 65th lap though, one lap away from finishing in second place, with Lewis Hamilton pushing frantically in a vain attempt to catch leader Mark Webber in the hope the Australian has a similar problem to his teammate, agony occurred for the Brit. Hamilton got a front left puncture and went off into the tire wall, much to the delight of the Spanish crowd, as Alonso went into the 2nd podium position.
Pole sitter, Mark Webber, crossed the finish line in 1st, having held that position through-out the entire race, for his third ever grand prix victory. Alonso and a limping Vettel claimed second and third. They were followed by a slow Schumacher, a disappointing Button and Massa. Sutil, Kubica, Barrichello and Alguersuari, with the latter two having very good drives, took the remaining points.
So, for the 10th time in 10 years, the pole sitter at Barcelona won, proving Jenson Button’s comment at the start of the race to be profoundly true - ‘Hopefully we can get onto them [the Red Bulls] into Turn One and have a chance of overtaking, otherwise it might be difficult to challenge for a win’. I just wish I had the foresight to have listened.
Saturday 8 May 2010
Argentina
Argentina, one of the nations that stirs the hearts of those north and south of the border more than any other, in quite opposing ways. The two time World Cup Winners have at times shown us sheer greatness on the pitch, echoing if not even usurping their South American Brazilian neighbours. However, flashes of brilliance have often coincided with moments of madness, from a side that adds fight to fluidity.
The prospective squad going to South Africa this summer is no different. With the head coach epitomising this erratic footballing country. Diego Maradona is that man. And his journey through qualification was not an easy one.
Maradona took over the national side managerial role in November 2008, inheriting an Argentine side who had won 4 games, drawn 4 and lost 2 in the 18 match qualifying campaign. In his first competitive game in charge of La Albiceleste (White and Sky blue) he oversaw a 4-0 drumming of Venezuela. Yet, their fortunes changed when in the very next game they themselves were annihilated 6-1 by strugglers Bolivia. A 92nd minute goal from Palermo earned a much needed victory against bottom side Peru, setting up a “winner takes all” match against Uruguay in the final group match, with all being the final automatic spot. Bollati sent Maradona’s side to South Africa in the 84th minute (Although, Uruguay also made it after beating Costa Rica in the play-off match).
Despite their qualification, Maradona was issued a 2 month ban and £25,000 fine after telling the media to “suck it and keep on sucking it”. He has also fallen out with the inspirational Riquelme, who has subsequently retired from international football, insisting he cannot play under Maradona. Although, as magical as some of his football was in contrast to his managerial career thus far, Diego at least has managed to succeed in something that only “the Special One” Jose Mourinho has, by turning potentially the world’s newest “Greatest Ever Player” into something people simply refer to as average. Admittedly however, Mourinho was managing a side playing against Messi, as oppose to with him.
Messi will need to shine if Argentina are going to win for the first time since Maradona himself scored not only the “Greatest ever Goal”, but also the “Hand of God” in 1986. Fortunately, Argentina find themselves in a relatively easy group, group B, with Nigeria, South Korea and Greece awaiting them in South Africa. Although, all three are hardworking teams, Nigeria and Greece both failed to qualify for Germany 2006, and South Korea went out in the group stages. However, with Maradona at the helm, a shock exit may be on the cards.
Even without Riquelme, the South American side hosts a wealth of superstars. The defensive options boast the likes of Walter Samuel and Javier Zanetti – who has been capped an amazing 136 times. The midfield includes captain Javier Mascherano, Esteban Cambiasso(who is one of my personal favourite players yet clearlt not one of Maradona's), Maxi Rodriguez and even former great Juan Sebastian Veron may grace us with his presence. Maradona described his team as "Mascherano and 10 others". I just hope the Liverpool midfielder lets his feet do the talking and not his mouth, as so often is the case. If that wasn’t enough Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito may all be in the running for the golden boot award come the final.
History has shown us that, despite Argentina’s ability to play engaging attacking football, ill-discipline can be their downfall. Therefore, a strong leader is needed to guide the team to victory. A leader with stability and authority, attributes Maradona appears not to possess. Of course on the world’s greatest stage we should be talking about the world’s greatest players, and in some roundabout way we are. Maradona was, and still is, one of the best players ever. However, I fear for Argentina that we may be talking more about the manager than the players during this campaign, potentially leading to a shock group stage exit. Although, now I have said that, they will probably go on and win it...
The prospective squad going to South Africa this summer is no different. With the head coach epitomising this erratic footballing country. Diego Maradona is that man. And his journey through qualification was not an easy one.
Maradona took over the national side managerial role in November 2008, inheriting an Argentine side who had won 4 games, drawn 4 and lost 2 in the 18 match qualifying campaign. In his first competitive game in charge of La Albiceleste (White and Sky blue) he oversaw a 4-0 drumming of Venezuela. Yet, their fortunes changed when in the very next game they themselves were annihilated 6-1 by strugglers Bolivia. A 92nd minute goal from Palermo earned a much needed victory against bottom side Peru, setting up a “winner takes all” match against Uruguay in the final group match, with all being the final automatic spot. Bollati sent Maradona’s side to South Africa in the 84th minute (Although, Uruguay also made it after beating Costa Rica in the play-off match).
Despite their qualification, Maradona was issued a 2 month ban and £25,000 fine after telling the media to “suck it and keep on sucking it”. He has also fallen out with the inspirational Riquelme, who has subsequently retired from international football, insisting he cannot play under Maradona. Although, as magical as some of his football was in contrast to his managerial career thus far, Diego at least has managed to succeed in something that only “the Special One” Jose Mourinho has, by turning potentially the world’s newest “Greatest Ever Player” into something people simply refer to as average. Admittedly however, Mourinho was managing a side playing against Messi, as oppose to with him.
Messi will need to shine if Argentina are going to win for the first time since Maradona himself scored not only the “Greatest ever Goal”, but also the “Hand of God” in 1986. Fortunately, Argentina find themselves in a relatively easy group, group B, with Nigeria, South Korea and Greece awaiting them in South Africa. Although, all three are hardworking teams, Nigeria and Greece both failed to qualify for Germany 2006, and South Korea went out in the group stages. However, with Maradona at the helm, a shock exit may be on the cards.
Even without Riquelme, the South American side hosts a wealth of superstars. The defensive options boast the likes of Walter Samuel and Javier Zanetti – who has been capped an amazing 136 times. The midfield includes captain Javier Mascherano, Esteban Cambiasso(who is one of my personal favourite players yet clearlt not one of Maradona's), Maxi Rodriguez and even former great Juan Sebastian Veron may grace us with his presence. Maradona described his team as "Mascherano and 10 others". I just hope the Liverpool midfielder lets his feet do the talking and not his mouth, as so often is the case. If that wasn’t enough Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito may all be in the running for the golden boot award come the final.
History has shown us that, despite Argentina’s ability to play engaging attacking football, ill-discipline can be their downfall. Therefore, a strong leader is needed to guide the team to victory. A leader with stability and authority, attributes Maradona appears not to possess. Of course on the world’s greatest stage we should be talking about the world’s greatest players, and in some roundabout way we are. Maradona was, and still is, one of the best players ever. However, I fear for Argentina that we may be talking more about the manager than the players during this campaign, potentially leading to a shock group stage exit. Although, now I have said that, they will probably go on and win it...
Friday 7 May 2010
Algeria
With only 35 days left before the World Cup in South Africa commences, it is only right to provide a run-through of the teams involved in the greatest show on earth. Heading the list is a team that is likely to be one of the first catching a return flight back to their homeland once the group stages have finished – Algeria.
However, just getting to the World Cup is an achievement in itself, with Algeria only been represented in the finals in Spain ‘82 and Mexico’ 86. In the 6 matches they have partaken in, the Desert Foxes have averaged a goal a game and have conceded just under 2 per match. Yet, this does not tell the true story. In Mexico, the campaign was a slight disappointment, having lost 1-0 to Brazil, 3-0 to Spain and with a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland all they could muster. The 1982 World Cup though, proved a different story.
The Algerian’s won their first ever World Cup match against none other but the current European Champions West Germany, recording a famous 2-1 victory. The side then went on to lose to Austria 2-0, before narrowly beating the groups whipping boys Chile, 3-2. Therefore, if Germany were to beat Austria, all three countries – Algeria, Austria and West Germany – would end on 6 points, meaning that goal difference counted. A 1-0 victory for West Germany against Austria the day after Algeria’s game against Chile would mean that both the European sides would progress, so when West Germany went 1-0 up after 10 minutes, both sides appeared to come to unofficial agreement to kick the ball aimlessly around for the remaining 80minutes, meaning Algeria went out. This match is why the final group stage games are played simultaneously, to prevent teams fixing the result.
As for the road to South Africa, Algeria made it after overcoming bitter rivals Egypt 1-0 in a play-off match, having lost to the Pharaohs merely four days previously in the group stages of qualifying. Egypt did exact their revenge in the African Cup of Nations thrashing their North African counter-parts 4-0 on route to lifting the trophy. Encouragingly for England, who are one of the teams in Group C with Algeria, a friendly with Egypt at Wembley in March ended in a 3-1 victory to the home side.
England are the seeded side in Group C with the two remaining places being filled by Slovenia and, potentially, Algeria’s main challengers to progression, the USA. This is undoubtedly one of the supposedly easier groups in South Africa, yet England should progress leaving a straight fight between the other three nations for that final qualifying spot. Slovenia will provide an even match whilst the USA have become a dogged force in World football, having reached the quarter-finals in 2002 before being knocked out in the “Group of Death” in 2006. Although, they did achieve the accolade of being the only team who did not lose to eventual champions Italy, in a 1-1 draw.
Rabah Saadane managers the African side who, for the ladies out there, play in a bland white home strip. If colour is what you imagine when you think of South Africa, be prepared to be disappointed with Group C as England, Slovenia and the USA also all play in white... Let’s hope the football is more imaginative.
Unlike the manager, the current squad does house some recognisable names with Bougherra (Rangers), Belhadj (Portsmouth), Yebda (Portsmouth), Ghilas (Hull City) and Guedioura (Wolves) all hopefuls for South Africa. Bougherra and Belhadj will create some stability in defence however, both are effectively French rejects choosing to play for the country of their fathers, instead of the country they represented at International Under 23 and 18 level, respectively. Yebda will no doubt make his presence felt in the centre of midfield, yet a failure to start consistently for Portsmouth tells its own story. The same goes for Ghilas, who despite signs of promise at the beginning of the season, has failed to play a more prominent role in preventing Hull City for regulation.
35 year old Istres striker Rafik Saifi is the highest scorer in the current side, on a measly 18 goals. However, if Algeria are going to progress past the group stages for the first time in their nation’s history, the French Ligue 2 striker may provide the required experience to slot away any potential opportunity of a goal whilst also keeping a cool head. Unlike the players who competed in the last competitive game for Algeria, the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Egypt, where Rafik Halliche, Nadir Belhadj and Fawzi Chaouchi all saw red.
So the Desert Foxes are no doubt just glad to be at World Cup in 2010. Which is lucky as realistically, with their main stars being French international rejects coupled with the fact that some of them play for teams who just got relegated from the Premiership, they stand little chance of remaining in South Africa come 24th June. However, against three sides they have never competed against in International football, they may provide some surprise and advance to the second round, where they will undoubtedly go out.
However, just getting to the World Cup is an achievement in itself, with Algeria only been represented in the finals in Spain ‘82 and Mexico’ 86. In the 6 matches they have partaken in, the Desert Foxes have averaged a goal a game and have conceded just under 2 per match. Yet, this does not tell the true story. In Mexico, the campaign was a slight disappointment, having lost 1-0 to Brazil, 3-0 to Spain and with a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland all they could muster. The 1982 World Cup though, proved a different story.
The Algerian’s won their first ever World Cup match against none other but the current European Champions West Germany, recording a famous 2-1 victory. The side then went on to lose to Austria 2-0, before narrowly beating the groups whipping boys Chile, 3-2. Therefore, if Germany were to beat Austria, all three countries – Algeria, Austria and West Germany – would end on 6 points, meaning that goal difference counted. A 1-0 victory for West Germany against Austria the day after Algeria’s game against Chile would mean that both the European sides would progress, so when West Germany went 1-0 up after 10 minutes, both sides appeared to come to unofficial agreement to kick the ball aimlessly around for the remaining 80minutes, meaning Algeria went out. This match is why the final group stage games are played simultaneously, to prevent teams fixing the result.
As for the road to South Africa, Algeria made it after overcoming bitter rivals Egypt 1-0 in a play-off match, having lost to the Pharaohs merely four days previously in the group stages of qualifying. Egypt did exact their revenge in the African Cup of Nations thrashing their North African counter-parts 4-0 on route to lifting the trophy. Encouragingly for England, who are one of the teams in Group C with Algeria, a friendly with Egypt at Wembley in March ended in a 3-1 victory to the home side.
England are the seeded side in Group C with the two remaining places being filled by Slovenia and, potentially, Algeria’s main challengers to progression, the USA. This is undoubtedly one of the supposedly easier groups in South Africa, yet England should progress leaving a straight fight between the other three nations for that final qualifying spot. Slovenia will provide an even match whilst the USA have become a dogged force in World football, having reached the quarter-finals in 2002 before being knocked out in the “Group of Death” in 2006. Although, they did achieve the accolade of being the only team who did not lose to eventual champions Italy, in a 1-1 draw.
Rabah Saadane managers the African side who, for the ladies out there, play in a bland white home strip. If colour is what you imagine when you think of South Africa, be prepared to be disappointed with Group C as England, Slovenia and the USA also all play in white... Let’s hope the football is more imaginative.
Unlike the manager, the current squad does house some recognisable names with Bougherra (Rangers), Belhadj (Portsmouth), Yebda (Portsmouth), Ghilas (Hull City) and Guedioura (Wolves) all hopefuls for South Africa. Bougherra and Belhadj will create some stability in defence however, both are effectively French rejects choosing to play for the country of their fathers, instead of the country they represented at International Under 23 and 18 level, respectively. Yebda will no doubt make his presence felt in the centre of midfield, yet a failure to start consistently for Portsmouth tells its own story. The same goes for Ghilas, who despite signs of promise at the beginning of the season, has failed to play a more prominent role in preventing Hull City for regulation.
35 year old Istres striker Rafik Saifi is the highest scorer in the current side, on a measly 18 goals. However, if Algeria are going to progress past the group stages for the first time in their nation’s history, the French Ligue 2 striker may provide the required experience to slot away any potential opportunity of a goal whilst also keeping a cool head. Unlike the players who competed in the last competitive game for Algeria, the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Egypt, where Rafik Halliche, Nadir Belhadj and Fawzi Chaouchi all saw red.
So the Desert Foxes are no doubt just glad to be at World Cup in 2010. Which is lucky as realistically, with their main stars being French international rejects coupled with the fact that some of them play for teams who just got relegated from the Premiership, they stand little chance of remaining in South Africa come 24th June. However, against three sides they have never competed against in International football, they may provide some surprise and advance to the second round, where they will undoubtedly go out.
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